Taking to Twitter, Ahwaze wrote in Arabic that sources in Iran were concerned regarding the 81-year-old leader's health, and those close to him are reportedly "very concerned" over his deteriorating condition.
As such, his powers
have reportedly been transferred to his son, Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei,
aged 51, who currently oversees several important security and intelligence
departments in the country.
European sources have pegged Mojtaba as a potential
successor to the supreme leader's position for over 10 years, and British news outlet
The Guardian even dubbed him "the gatekeeper to Iran's supreme
leader" in a 2009 article.
Ahwaze noted that it is unclear what has caused recent deterioration in the supreme leader's condition overnight, though he did suspect it could be prostate cancer.
Khamenei's deteriorating health has also reportedly seen the supreme leader cancel some important meetings, such as a recently scheduled meeting with President Hassan Rouhani, according to Ahwaze.
