Has Iran executed its ‘not possible to kill’ Quds normal for being a spy? Reports say ‘man with 9 lives’ who was all the time mysteriously absent when Israel carried out assassinations is useless

Speculation has been growing surrounding the fate of IRGC commander Esmail Qaani, with some unconfirmed reports alleging the general was executed by Iran for spying for Israel.

The reports circulating in Arab media that Qaani was arrested and possibly executed on suspicion of espionage have not been confirmed by Tehran. 

According to the Emirati outlet The National, the claims remain unverified, but they have spread widely online amid speculation surrounding Qaani’s remarkable ability to survive a string of deadly attacks.

The reports come after years of rumours surrounding the 67-year-old commander, known as ‘the man with nine lives’, who has gained a reputation for repeatedly escaping attacks that killed those around him. 

Qaani took command of the IRGC’s Quds Force in January 2020 after the United States assassinated his predecessor, Qassem Suleimani.

The Quds Force is Iran’s foreign operations arm responsible for building, arming and coordinating the ‘Axis of Resistance’ across the Middle East. 

During his time in charge, many of the most prominent figures within that network have been killed.

These include Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon, and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran.

According to online rumours, he may have provided information that enabled the operation that eliminated Haniyeh. 

It is said that shortly after Qaani visited Haniyeh at a top-secret location in Tehran, Israel blew up the hideout.

Dozens of other senior Iranian commanders have also been eliminated in attacks across the region.

And most recently, a joint US-Israeli operation killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior regime figures.

Qaani, who was responsible for managing Iran’s regional proxy network during the escalating conflict, was notably not reported to be among those killed.

Suspicion has now grown because he was allegedly close to several of the strikes that wiped out Iran’s leadership.

Some reports claim he left the site of the explosion that killed Khamenei just minutes before it struck, leading some to believe he was leaking information to Israel. 

Speculation has been further fueled after it was said that an insider agent recruited by Mossad reportedly sent a video of Khamenei’s body to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel had previously published a list of Iranian and Iran-linked officials it intended to eliminate. Last weekend that list was announced as ‘complete,’ with Qaani’s name notably absent.

Over the past two years, several reports relying on unnamed security sources have suggested Qaani was close to attending multiple meetings or locations that were later targeted in deadly strikes, according to The National.

During the 12 day Iran-Israel war, he was even declared dead by several outlets before unexpectedly reappearing in Tehran at a public celebration in June 2025, dressed in civilian clothing.

Similarly in October 2024, he was declared dead, then apparently interrogated, before resurfacing again on Iranian TV.

After Israel’s penetration of Hezbollah’s leadership structure, Iran reportedly launched a formal investigation into possible security breaches. 

Outlets in the region citing unnamed sources said that because of this, Qaani and members of his team were placed under isolation and interrogated.

Now, reports claim he was executed, with one social media account saying: ‘Esmail Qaani, head of Iran’s Quds Force has been executed by IRGC.’

‘He has survived all assassination attempts so far & was even with Khamenei during US-Israel bombing but escaped. 

‘Earlier, he was taken into custody by the IRGC on suspicion of being a Mossad agent.’

Tehran has reportedly denied these rumours, according to Israeli news website JFeed.

The speculation comes as Iran is looking to appoint a new Supreme Leader, with Khamenei’s son Mojtaba positioned as a favourite. 

Mojtaba has survived US-Israeli airstrikes that wiped out his father and dozens of the Islamic regime’s top brass. 

He is a hardliner with close ties to Iran’s ​elite ⁠Revolutionary Guards paramilitary force and one of the most influential figures in the clerical establishment. 

However, US President Donald Trump has rejected Khamenei’s son as a potential successor, demanding the final say on who leads Iran.

‘They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,’ Trump told Axios.

‘[Ali] Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,’ Trump said, adding that the US would be back in a war within five years if the heir accedes as Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Trump’s extraordinary kingmaker role comes despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stating that the administration had no ‘regime change’ goal.

The White House has been at pains to clean up its messy messaging in recent days, with Karoline Leavitt outlining four defined goals: destroy its missile arsenal, annihilate its navy, permanently prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and dismantle its terrorist proxies.