Surrounded by Doubles: The Secret Life of Mojtaba Khamenei
A report in The Times reveals that Iran's leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not used a phone or computer for three months, relies on doubles to deceive his servants, and communicates via notes and messengers. Senior officials estimate that locating him will only be possible through a human agent.
A report published in The Times reveals the secret life of the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Khamenei. According to journalist Michael Evans, Khamenei has not used a phone or computer for about three months. The Iranians use doubles, and even the diners and servants do not know if they are dealing with the real ayatollah or one of the doubles. Rami Igra, former head of a division in the Mossad, explained that Khamenei uses other means of communication such as paper notes and a network of couriers unaware of the message content. A senior American official noted that Israeli intelligence has an advantage in operating human agents in Iran due to the lack of prolonged American presence. Avner Avraham, a former colonel in the Mossad, added that Khamenei lives in different places and people are employed to feed him, but they do not know if the food reaches the real Khamenei or a double. Khamenei went underground about three months ago amid a wave of targeted assassinations of regime officials, and suffers from severe physical disabilities following an assassination attempt.