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IRAN’S new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is recovering from severe injuries sustained during an airstrike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the outset of the ongoing war, according to sources close to his inner circle.
Reuters reported on Saturday that the 56-year-old cleric is said to have suffered disfiguring facial injuries and significant damage to one or both legs when the strike hit the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran on February 28, the first day of hostilities launched by the United States and Israel.
Despite the extent of his injuries, those familiar with the situation say he remains mentally alert and continues to exercise authority behind the scenes.
He is reportedly participating in high-level discussions via audio conferencing and remains involved in key decisions relating to the war and ongoing negotiations with Washington.
His physical condition, however, has intensified scrutiny over his ability to lead Iran during what is widely regarded as one of the most perilous periods in the country’s modern history, as senior officials gather in Islamabad for critical peace talks with the United States.
Public uncertainty has been compounded by his continued absence from view. No photographs, video footage or audio recordings of Mojtaba Khamenei have been released since the airstrike and his subsequent appointment as supreme leader on March 8.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations has declined to comment on the extent of his injuries or the reasons behind his prolonged absence from public appearances. However, state television has referred to him as a “janbaz”, a term used for individuals severely wounded in war.
External assessments appear to align with these accounts. United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 13 that Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured”, while a source familiar with American intelligence suggested he may have lost a leg.
The leadership transition itself followed a devastating strike that not only killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989, but also claimed the lives of several members of Mojtaba Khamenei’s family, including his wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Yet beyond questions of health, analysts suggest a deeper challenge lies in consolidating authority. Unlike his father, whose decades in power allowed him to build an entrenched system of control, Mojtaba Khamenei is seen as lacking the same level of institutional dominance.
Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the new leader is unlikely, at least initially, to wield the same decisive influence.
“Mojtaba will be one voice but it will not be the decisive one,” he said. “He needs to prove himself as the credible, powerful, overriding voice. The regime as a whole has to make a decision in terms of where they are going to go.”
Iran’s political system formally vests ultimate authority in the supreme leader, a senior Shi’ite cleric appointed by an assembly of religious figures.
The position oversees elected institutions while directly commanding powerful bodies such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has emerged as a dominant force during the current conflict.
While Mojtaba Khamenei had long operated within his father’s inner circle and cultivated ties with senior figures in the Revolutionary Guards, analysts note that his personal worldview and leadership style remain largely opaque.
His first communication as supreme leader came in the form of a written statement issued on March 12, in which he declared that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed and warned regional states against hosting United States military bases.
Subsequent messages, including one marking the Persian New Year as the “year of resistance”, have also been delivered in written form rather than through direct appearances.
In his absence, much of the government’s public messaging on war strategy, diplomacy and domestic stability has been handled by other senior officials, further fuelling speculation about where real authority lies.
Online, the uncertainty has given rise to widespread discussion and conspiracy theories. One widely circulated image shows an empty chair under a spotlight accompanied by the slogan “Where is Mojtaba?”
However, some within Iran’s security establishment argue that his low profile is a necessary precaution.
“Why should he appear in public? To become a target for these criminals?” said Mohammad Hosseini, a member of the Basij paramilitary force based in Qom.
Sources close to the leadership suggest that images or even a public appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei may emerge within one or two months, though they emphasise that any such move will depend on both his recovery and the prevailing security situation.
Until then, Iran’s leadership remains defined as much by absence as by authority, with the country navigating war, diplomacy and internal power dynamics under an unusually opaque command structure. - April 11, 2026