According to the Pentagon, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, is “injured” and “likely disfigured,” which is why he has not yet appeared physically since taking office last Sunday. But where is the new Iranian Supreme Leader? Since his appointment on March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public. This Thursday, the successor to his father, who was killed on February 28 by Israeli-American strikes, delivered his first message. In it, he calls for “revenge for the killings” committed by the United States and Israel. “All American bases should close in the region, as we will strike them,” he threatened. These statements were read by a woman on Iranian television. No image or audio recording of the Iranian leader has been released. This absence reinforces speculation about his health condition.
“Alive in one form or another,” according to Donald Trump According to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Mojtaba Khamenei is “injured” and “likely disfigured.” A statement echoed this Friday by Donald Trump, who said the new Supreme Leader of Iran “is injured, but he is alive in one form or another.” This is an opportunity for Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Israeli Prime Minister, “Mojtaba Khamenei can no longer appear in public.”
“Not able to give a speech” Meanwhile, Tehran has sent conflicting signals. The Iranian Ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, told The Guardian on March 11 that Mojtaba Khamenei was “injured” during the bombing that killed his father on February 28. “I heard he was injured in the legs, hand, and arm (…) I think he is in the hospital,” which is why “he is not able to give a speech.” On the contrary, President Massoud Pezeshkian’s thread assured that the 56-year-old leader is “safe and sound.” Earlier in the week, Iranian television referred to Mojtaba Khamenei as a “wounded war veteran” during “the Ramadan war,” without further details. This information has only increased doubts about his health condition. Three Iranian officials told The New York Times that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the legs under unclear circumstances. A source close to the case told CNN that he “suffered a foot fracture, bruising around the left eye, and minor cuts on the face.”
