Three days after being declared Iran’s new supreme leader following the assassination of his father, Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to appear publicly, release a video, or issue any written statements.
According to three Iranian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, one reason for the silence is security concerns. They said any communication could potentially reveal his location and place him at risk.
However, the officials also indicated that the 56-year-old leader was injured on the first day of the joint Israeli-U.S. attack on Feb. 28. They said senior government figures informed them that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered several injuries, including wounds to his legs. Despite this, they described him as conscious and currently sheltered in a highly secure location with limited communications.
Two Israeli military officials said intelligence gathered by Israel similarly suggested that Khamenei sustained leg injuries during the Feb. 28 strike. According to the officials, that assessment was made even before he was formally chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday. They also spoke on condition of anonymity.
The precise circumstances and severity of the injuries remain unclear.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the position after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting a leadership compound in central Tehran on Feb. 28. The attack also reportedly killed several senior Iranian defense officials as well as members of the Khamenei family, including the new leader’s mother, wife and one of his sons.
Iranian state media has offered indirect hints about Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition. State television and the official IRNA news agency have referred to him as a “wounded war veteran,” while a congratulatory statement from Komiteh Emdad, a major government-linked charity, described him as a “janbaz jang,” a Persian term for a veteran wounded in war.
When asked on Tuesday whether the new supreme leader had officially assumed control as Iran’s top political and religious authority and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei avoided giving a direct answer.
“Those who have to receive the message have received the message,” Baghaei said.
