Iranian Web sites deny Khamenei rumors

TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Iranian Web sites buzzed with denials regarding rumors emerging late Wednesday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had slipped into a coma or died.

U.S. foreign policy analyst Michael Ledeen brought the rumors to the forefront on a blog on the conservative Pajamas Media Web site by cautiously citing "a person who is in a position to know such things" who said that Khamenei had slipped into a coma.

"Yesterday afternoon at 2.15 p.m local time, Khamenei collapsed and was taken to his special clinic. Nobody -- except his son and the doctors -- has since been allowed to get near him," the report said.

Rumors surrounding the health of the revered 70-year-old cleric have circulated for years, with allegations ranging from leukemia to any number of other forms of cancer.

A report on the rumors from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty cites the conservative Tabnak Persian-language Web site characterizing the rumors as "a laughable claim."

Ledeen announced Khamenei died before in 2007, though Iranian news agencies said the leader was ill with a cold. English-language news Web sites in Iran did not report on the allegations Thursday.

Khamenei last appeared in public during a trip to northern Iran on Oct. 7.