Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly been injured but remains in stable condition, according to the son of Iran’s president, who offered the first official comment on the cleric’s absence from public view since his appointment.
In a message posted on Telegram, Yousef Pezeshkian said he had sought confirmation about reports of Khamenei’s injuries through contacts connected to the leadership circle. “I heard that Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured,” he wrote, adding that sources assured him the leader was “safe and sound.”
Khamenei, 56, was appointed as Iran’s supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts following the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei, in an air strike at the start of the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran. However, his absence from public appearances since the weekend appointment had raised questions about his condition and whereabouts.
Iranian state television earlier described the new leader as a “wounded veteran of the Ramazan war” but did not provide further details about his injuries.
A report by The New York Times, citing three unnamed Iranian officials, said Khamenei had suffered injuries including damage to his legs but remained conscious and was staying in a highly secure location with limited communication access.
Speculation has suggested he may have been wounded in the same daytime air strike on a compound in Tehran that killed his father, along with several family members, at the beginning of the conflict on February 28.
Despite his absence, the new leader’s image has appeared across Tehran on large billboards, including one depicting him symbolically receiving Iran’s national flag from his father while the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, looks on.
Posters bearing his image were also carried by thousands of pro-government supporters during a large rally in central Tehran earlier this week.
Security concerns are believed to be behind Khamenei’s continued absence from public view. Analysts say he has become an immediate target following his elevation to Iran’s highest political and religious office.
Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies suggested the new leader would likely remain in a secure location for an extended period after witnessing the deadly strike that killed several close family members.
“He is likely to remain sheltered for some time,” Hokayem said, adding that his survival could become a powerful symbol of the resilience of Iran’s political system.
Following his appointment, both the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged allegiance to Khamenei. Support also came from allied groups including Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi movement, while Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s “unwavering support.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump warned that Khamenei’s leadership would be “unacceptable” to Washington, saying the new supreme leader would require US approval to remain in power.
It is to be remembered that Mojtaba Khamenei was elected by the Iran’s Assembly of Experts, after his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in a US-Israeli airstrike.