The Telegraph
British broadsheet that broke the Khamenei family death scoop in March 2026.
On 16 March 2026, The Telegraph said it had independently verified a recording placing Mojtaba Khamenei at his home when Israel's 28 February strike hit it, killing his wife and son.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 4 active topics
How did The Telegraph verify a leaked recording from inside Khamenei's inner circle?
Timeline for The Telegraph
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Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaReported the camera findings on 9 August
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Navy robot boats' cameras called ChinaBackground
The Telegraph is a British national broadsheet. Its original reporting in 2026 has been cited across coverage of the Iran war, Royal Navy procurement, party funding and the public finances.
Its most-cited story of the year came on 16 March, when it said it had verified a recording from Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for the late Supreme Leader's office. The recording described the 28 February strike on Mojtaba Khamenei's home and the deaths of his wife and son. On 9 August it reported that Chinese-made cameras on Royal Navy K3 SCOUT vessels were sending signals to an internet address in China; the Ministry of Defence said the next day that no data or systems had been accessed.
Other outlets carry its work at second hand. In September, PA Media cited The Telegraph for the detail that Ben Delo's reported £36m gift to Reform UK was paid upfront to cover the years to 2029. PA Media said the gift was not yet on the Electoral Commission register.
A leaked tape exposed the succession
On 16 March, The Telegraph reported that it had independently verified a recording from Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Ali Khamenei's office. The recording placed Mojtaba Khamenei in his garden at 09:30 on 28 February, when ballistic missiles struck his home, and said his wife and son were killed.
No verified image or audio of him had surfaced 18 days after the strike, and by 20 March the CIA, Mossad and allied agencies were still trying to establish where he was.
A camera scoop tested defence vetting
On 9 August, The Telegraph reported that Chinese-made cameras on Royal Navy K3 SCOUT mine-hunting vessels were sending signals to an internet address in China. Royal Marines and Special Boat Service units operate the vessels.
The Ministry of Defence answered on 10 August. It said a routine cyber check had found the fault, that engineers had cut the cameras from the internet, and that its investigation found no evidence of Royal Navy data or systems being accessed. The newspaper's report put a sub-tier component on deployed kit into public view; the official answer dealt with the connection rather than the supplier.
A leaked tape exposed the succession
What did The Telegraph reveal about Khamenei's family?
A camera scoop tested defence vetting
What did the Telegraph report about Chinese components in Royal Navy robot boats?
Reference
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