Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded in his legs on the first day of the war launched by Israel and the United States, according to a report Wednesday in The New York Times citing Iranian officials.
The report comes as Khamenei, 56, has not appeared in public or issued any statement since being selected three days ago to replace his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israel’s opening strike on Feb. 28.
Three Iranian officials told The New York Times that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured that day, though the exact circumstances of the injury and his current medical condition remain unclear. The officials said he is conscious and currently hiding in a heavily secured location with limited communication.
Two Israeli military officials also told the newspaper that Israeli defense officials have reached a similar assessment, concluding that Khamenei suffered leg injuries on Feb. 28 — the day Israel and the United States launched the war. The strike that killed Ali Khamenei also killed Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, son and mother, according to the report.
Iranian state media have previously hinted at Mojtaba Khamenei’s injury, describing him as a “janbaz jang,” a Persian term used to refer to wounded war veterans.
During a briefing Tuesday, Iranian journalists asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Qaani whether Khamenei had begun functioning as supreme leader — a role that includes serving as commander in chief of Iran’s armed forces. Qaani did not answer directly but said, “Those who needed to receive the message have received it.”
The New York Times also reported that Iranian officials believe Mojtaba Khamenei was the target of another attempted assassination on Friday, before he was formally chosen as supreme leader but while he was widely seen as the leading candidate to succeed his father.
According to the officials, the attack targeted a massive bunker beneath the supreme leader’s offices in Tehran. However, they said Mojtaba Khamenei was not present at the site.