An Iranian diplomat at the embassy in Moscow allegedly died in a fitness club on February 4, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The paper identified the man as “A. Jahangiri,” 66, saying he felt unwell while exercising on a treadmill and died soon afterwards.

There is a long history of Iranian and Russian diplomats dying in sudden circumstances in recent years. Jahangiri’s death comes amid growing discontent in Tehran with Moscow’s handling of its security contracts with the country, with one Iranian MP accusing Russia of Betrayal.  

Preliminary information revealed that the diplomat's sudden death was caused by a blood clot rupturing during training in a gym, according to the Russian newspaper.

Neither the Iranian embassy nor Persian media have published any reports on the tragic death of the embassy employee, which is now adding to questions on social media for the blackout.

This is not the first instance of sudden death of Iranian officials and their families in Moscow. The daughter of the former Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Sanaei died after a reported “heart attack,” according to Russian media reporting on the late-night occurrence.

Emerging reports of suicide in the diplomatic mission were called a provocation by the Iranian mission at the time.

“This was not the case; the embassy refutes this, the embassy noted, adding that she had a heart attack,” it said in response.

Meanwhile, Russian diplomat Konstantin Alekseev, who worked in the embassy in Tehran and consulate in Rasht, was reportedly found dead by his wife in December 2023 in their apartment in Moscow.

It was unclear if the diplomat, returning from Rasht in 2019, was still involved with Iran.