Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was injured but ‘survived’, the president’s son said

Mojtaba Khamenei, recently appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader, was reportedly injured but remains “safe and healthy,” according to a statement released Wednesday by the country’s president’s son.

Yousef Pezeshkian, who also serves as a government advisor and is the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, revealed this in a message posted on his Telegram channel. The statement marked the first official explanation for the 56-year-old leader’s absence from public view since his appointment at the weekend.

“I heard the news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei was injured. I have asked several friends who have connections,” wrote Yousef Pezeshkian.

“They told me that, thank God, he is safe and healthy,” he added.

Khamenei, who has long served as an influential but largely behind-the-scenes figure in Iranian politics, took the country’s top post after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. The elder Khamenei was reportedly killed in an airstrike in the early stages of the ongoing war between the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic.

His appointment by the ruling clerical body the Council of Experts sparked questions about his condition and whereabouts, as the new leader has not appeared in public or made a public speech since taking office.

Iranian state television previously called him a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war,” referring to the conflict that erupted during the holy month of Ramadan, although it did not provide further details about his injuries.

According to a report by The New York Times citing three unnamed Iranian officials, Khamenei suffered multiple injuries.

The report said he “suffered injuries, including to his leg, but he remained alert and sheltered in a highly secure location with limited communications.”

Speculation has also emerged that he may have been injured in a daylight attack on a compound in Tehran on February 28, the same attack that reportedly killed his father, as well as his mother and wife, on the first day of the conflict.

Although he has not appeared in public, Khamenei’s image has been prominently displayed throughout the capital. Large billboards appeared in Tehran, including one depicting him symbolically receiving Iran’s national flag from his father as the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, looked on.

Thousands of pro-government supporters also carried posters bearing his image during a mass rally in downtown Tehran on Monday.

However, dissent also emerged in the capital, with reports of shouts of “Death to Mojtaba!” reflects opposition to a figure widely believed to have played a key role in suppressing anti-government protests that have erupted periodically since 2009.

Khamenei’s father, Ali, himself suffered from partial paralysis of his arm for most of his life after surviving an assassination attempt in 1981 attributed to the militant opposition group Iran’s People’s Mujahideen.

Under Iran’s political system, the supreme leader holds office for life and serves as the highest political authority in the country and as a religious guide for Shiite Muslims.

Analysts believe that Khamenei will likely not be seen by the public for a long time due to the high risk of an assassination attempt.

Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies suggested the new leader would implement strict security measures following the killing of his father and other family members.

He said he expects he “will be sitting in a bunker somewhere for a very long time because he saw what happened to his father, his wife, his mother, who all died in the initial attack.”

“Killing him early is of course Israel’s priority. If he survives, he will become a totem, a testimony to the resilience of the system,” Hokayem said at an online event hosted by the think tank.

The analyst predicted that Khamenei would probably delegate key responsibilities in government, perhaps handing over administrative matters to national security chief Ali Larijani and military coordination to the influential parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Upon his appointment, both the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged allegiance to him. Allied groups in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have also expressed support.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin offered what he described as “unwavering support” to the new leader.

In contrast, Donald Trump of the United States had previously warned of the emergence of Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader.

“He has to get approval from us,” Trump told ABC News on Sunday. “If he doesn’t get our approval, he won’t last long.”