Date: March 12, 2026
Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, sustained injuries during the recent US and Israeli military strikes on the country, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The source confirmed that the 56-year-old cleric suffered a fractured foot, bruising around his left eye, and minor cuts to his face in the attack. The revelation comes after days of speculation regarding his condition, with an Israeli source previously indicating he was the target of an assassination attempt last week.
Further details have emerged from Iran's ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, who spoke to the Guardian newspaper. Salarian stated that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the very same airstrike that tragically killed his father, the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The attack also claimed the lives of five other family members. This explains the new leader's conspicuous absence from public view since his appointment was announced.
“I don’t think he is comfortable to give a speech,” Ambassador Salarian said, attributing the lack of public appearances to his injuries. However, reassuring comments have come from Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He told the state-affiliated Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) that the new supreme leader is "safe and there are no concerns."
In the interim, Iranian state media has been broadcasting archival footage of Mojtaba Khamenei, supplemented by AI-generated imagery, to maintain a public profile for the leader.
A Hard-line Figure Steps Into the Spotlight
Before his ascent, Mojtaba Khamenei was a low-profile but powerful figure, deeply embedded within the network of influence cultivated by his father. He is known to be a close associate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is considered by observers to be a hard-liner, potentially even more so than his predecessor.
Following his father's death, Iran's Assembly of Experts quickly confirmed him as the new supreme leader. State media released a documentary portraying his life, from his studies in Qom to his teenage years fighting in the Iran-Iraq war, framing him as the heir to his "martyred" father.
This succession is viewed by analysts as a defiant message from the regime. Before the confirmation, Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, suggested his appointment signals to the US and Israel that military pressure will not force a shift in Iran's position.
Mojtaba Khamenei is not a stranger to controversy within Iran. He was a focal point of public anger during the 2009 protests against the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with many believing he influenced the results. Protesters at the time chanted slogans expressing their opposition to his future leadership.
Internationally, he has already drawn scrutiny. In 2019, the US Treasury sanctioned him for alleged collaboration with the IRGC to advance his father's objectives. US President Donald Trump has also publicly criticized his appointment, calling him an "unacceptable" choice.
