IRAN’S NEW SUPREME LEADER MOJTABA KHAMENEI INJURED BUT “SAFE AND SOUND,” SAYS PRESIDENT’S SON
Read Time:2 Minute, 11 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly been injured but remains “safe and sound,” according to Yousef Pezeshkian, son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Wednesday. This marks the first official update on the 56-year-old cleric since his appointment over the weekend.
“I heard news that Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound,” Pezeshkian wrote on his Telegram channel.
Khamenei, previously a low-profile but influential figure behind the scenes, assumed the top leadership role following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in an airstrike at the outset of the US-Israeli war against Iran. Questions about Mojtaba’s whereabouts and condition have circulated widely, as he has yet to appear publicly or make a statement.
State television described him as a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” without providing specifics, while the New York Times, citing three unnamed Iranian officials, reported that he sustained injuries, including to his legs, and is currently alert and sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication.
Observers speculate that he may have been injured in the daytime airstrike in Tehran that killed his father, as well as his mother and wife, on February 28.
Despite limited public appearances, giant billboards of Mojtaba Khamenei have appeared across Tehran, depicting him symbolically receiving the national flag from his late father. Thousands of pro-government supporters displayed his posters at a major rally in central Tehran on Monday, although night-time protests chanting “Death to Mojtaba!” have also highlighted ongoing public opposition, rooted in his perceived role in suppressing anti-government protests since 2009.
Security analysts expect Khamenei to remain out of public view for the foreseeable future, delegating government operations to national security chief Ali Larijani and overseeing the war effort through parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to Emile Hokayem of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Both the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have pledged allegiance to the new supreme leader, alongside Tehran-backed groups including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed unwavering support.
Before his appointment, former US President Donald Trump had criticized the move, declaring Khamenei “unacceptable” and warning that he would need US approval to survive as Iran’s leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei inherits a lifetime position as Iran’s Supreme Leader and religious guide for Shia Muslims, immediately placing him at the center of a volatile conflict zone and a key target for international adversaries.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0