Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly been injured but remains “safe and sound,” according to the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering the first official explanation for why the 56-year-old has not been seen publicly since his appointment over the weekend.
“I heard news that Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I asked some friends with connections, and they told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound,” Yousef Pezeshkian wrote on his Telegram channel.
Mojtaba Khamenei, previously a low-profile yet influential figure behind the scenes, assumed leadership following the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, in an air strike at the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. His sudden rise has prompted questions about his whereabouts and physical condition, as he has yet to appear or speak in public since being appointed by the Assembly of Experts.
State television described Khamenei as a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” without providing specifics. According to the New York Times, citing three unnamed Iranian officials, he sustained injuries, including to his legs, but is alert and sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication.
Speculation suggests he may have been injured in the daytime air strike in Tehran that killed his father, mother, and wife on February 28, the first day of the war. Despite his absence, images of Mojtaba have appeared on giant billboards in Tehran, including one depicting him symbolically receiving the national flag from Ali Khamenei while the Islamic Republic’s founding leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, looks on. Pro-government supporters carried posters of him during a massive rally in central Tehran on Monday, though night-time cries of “Death to Mojtaba!” have also highlighted public opposition, given his alleged role in suppressing anti-government protests since 2009.
Mojtaba’s father, Ali, spent the latter half of his life with a partially paralyzed arm after surviving an assassination attempt in 1981, attributed to the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). The supreme leader position is for life and also serves as the religious guide for Shia Muslims.
Targeted for survival
Analysts suggest Mojtaba will remain out of public view for the foreseeable future due to the high risk of assassination by the United States and Israel. Emile Hokayem of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said the new leader is likely “to sit in a bunker somewhere for a very long time because he saw what happened to his father, his wife, and his mother, who were all killed in the initial attack.”
Hokayem added, “Killing him early is certainly an Israeli priority. If he survives, he becomes a totem, a testimony to the resilience of the system.” He also expects Khamenei to delegate governance to national security chief Ali Larijani and the war effort to parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Both the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, as have Tehran-backed groups including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Russian President Vladimir Putin also promised “unwavering support.”
Before his appointment, US President Donald Trump declared Khamenei’s leadership “unacceptable,” warning that he would need US approval to survive. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News on Sunday.
AFP
