Iran's blogosphere has been awash with rumors since Monday that the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died. The rumors, spread on the micro-blogging Web site Twitter and other sites across the country, have been given credence by claims that security forces have surrounded Khamenei's home in Tehran, and that only the leader's sons are allowed access to him.
There has, however, been no formal confirmation of the reports or any reference to them in Iran's main news outlets.
The rumors were cited on a number of relatively prominent blogs in the United States on Wednesday.
This is not the first time that the 70-year-old Khamenei's health has been the subject of rumor; he has been said to have suffered from health problems for years. But these rumors have also had no formal confirmation.