Iran’s new Supreme Leader is reportedly recovering from severe wounds
The news agency Reuters said on Sunday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was recovering from severe and disfiguring wounds from the airstrike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei. Iran’s leader has not been seen in public since his appointment.
Mojtaba Khamenei has been Iran’s Supreme Leader for one month and four days. Appointed to the country’s most powerful position in the wake of his father’s death in Israeli and US airstrikes, Khamenei has however not made any public appearances since, including on state television or audio recordings.
While one likely reason for his absence is that appearing in public could give away his location to the US and Israel and endanger him, the press agency Reuters released a report on Saturday that said that Khamenei had sustained serious injuries in the airstrike that killed his father and was recovering from them.
According to three sources Reuters spoke to on condition of anonymity, Khamenei has wounds on one or both legs and has allegedly been disfigured by injuries to his face.
The Supreme Leader is however in capacity of participating in state affairs and taking part in meetings with senior officials via videoconference, according to the sources.
In March, the New York Times already wrote that Khamenei had reportedly sustained injuries, including to his legs, during the first day of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also said in March that Khamenei was wounded and likely “disfigured” after a US airstrike.
Reuters nevertheless noted that it could not independently verify the information it obtained from the three individuals.
If confirmed, Khamenei’s injuries would raise questions as to his capacities of leading Iran through the war with the US and Israel.
