Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in the legs on the first day of the war in the Middle East, but is conscious, the newspaper reported on Wednesday (11). The New York Timesciting official Iranian and Israeli sources.
The injuries to the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei partly explain why he has not been seen in public, on video or released any statement since he was named on Sunday by Iran’s clerics as successor to his father, who was killed in the first wave of attacks of the war on February 28.
However, another key factor is the concern that any communication, including in writing, could reveal his location and put him in danger, Iranian officials, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper.
The new Iranian supreme leader is conscious and has taken refuge in a safe location with limited ability to communicate with the outside world, according to the sources.
Two Israeli military officials also confirmed to the newspaper that Israeli intelligence reported, even before Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment, that he had been injured in the legs, although the extent or severity of these injuries is unclear.
Several Iranian organizations and media outlets have in recent days used the expression “the wounded war veteran” to refer to the new leader, a figure shrouded in mystery whose mother, wife and one of his children also died in the Israeli and American attacks.
Regime denies that Khamenei’s son was injured
The advisor and son of the President of Iran, Yousef Pezeshkian, refuted this Wednesday speculation that the country’s new supreme leader was injured, and “assured” that “he is fine”.
“I heard news that Mr. Mojtaba had been injured. I asked some friends who had contact with him and they said that, thank God, he is fine and there is no problem,” he told the Iranian newspaper Advances.
Rumors about Mojtaba Khamenei’s situation emerged after Iranian state television used the term “janbaz” – which refers to those wounded in combat – following his election as supreme leader, without offering details about it.
Three days after his appointment, the new leader of the Islamic regime has yet to appear in public or address the nation, reinforcing rumors about his condition.
