Communication lines between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and senior Iranian officials have reportedly been disrupted since Sunday night, according to information published by the London-based opposition outlet Iran International.

Citing a source familiar with the latest developments, the report claims that Iran’s overnight missile launches toward Israel may have been carried out under pre-established military protocols without direct coordination from Khamenei’s office.

The source noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ rapid response following Israel’s strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahieh district appeared too swift to have involved a normal chain of communication between Khamenei and Iran’s military leadership.

Adding to the speculation, former Trump Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said there are persistent, though unconfirmed, reports that contact with Khamenei may have been lost.

“There’s hazy, and certainly not confirmed, but persistent reporting that communications with the Supreme Leader were lost overnight,” Coates said. “He may have reached something of an impasse, either because of his existing wounds or because another strike took him out.”

Khamenei was reportedly severely wounded during Israeli strikes on Tehran at the outset of Operation Roaring Lion on February 28.

Since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s supreme leader in early March, Mojtaba Khamenei has not made a public appearance, fueling continued speculation regarding his condition and ability to govern.

At this stage, there has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities regarding Khamenei’s whereabouts, condition, or the reported communication blackout.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)