Iran's new supreme leader has severe and disfiguring wounds, sources say

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still
recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the airstrike that
killed his father at the beginning of the war, three people close to his inner
circle told Reuters.
Khamenei's face was disfigured in
the attack on the supreme leader's compound in central Tehran and he suffered a
significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.
The 56-year-old is nonetheless
recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the
people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He is taking part
in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in
decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with
Washington, two of them said.
The question of whether Khamenei's health allows him to run state affairs comes
during Iran's moment of gravest peril for decades, with high-stakes peace talks
with the United States opening in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday.
The accounts of the people close to
Khamenei's inner circle provide the most detailed description of the leader's
condition for weeks. Reuters couldn't independently verify their descriptions.
Khamenei's whereabouts, condition
and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no
photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his
subsequent appointment as his father's replacement on March 8.
Iran's United Nations mission did
not respond to Reuters questions about the extent of Khamenei's injuries or the
reason he has not yet appeared in any images or recordings.
Khamenei was wounded on February 28, the first day of the war launched by the
US and Israel, in the attack that killed his father and predecessor Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989. Mojtaba Khamenei's wife, brother-in-law
and sister-in-law were among other members of his family killed in the strike.
There has been no official Iranian
statement on the extent of Khamenei's injuries. However, a newsreader on state
television described him as a "janbaz", a term used for those badly
wounded in war, after he was named supreme leader.
That is, resolving the entangled
issues through negotiations.
The accounts of Khamenei's injuries
tally with a statement made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
on March 13 when he said that Khamenei was "wounded and likely
disfigured".
A source familiar with US
intelligence assessments told Reuters that Khamenei was believed to have lost
a leg.
The CIA declined to comment on
Khamenei's condition. The Israeli prime minister's office didn't respond to
questions.
Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the
Middle East Institute, said that, regardless of the severity of his injuries,
it was unlikely the new and inexperienced leader would be able to command the
overarching power wielded by his father. While he is seen to represent
continuity, it could take years for him to build up the same level of automatic
authority, Vatanka added.
"Mojtaba will be one voice but
it will not be the decisive one," he said. "He needs to prove himself
as the credible, powerful, overriding voice. The regime as a whole has to make
a decision in terms of where they are going to go."
One of the people close to
Khamenei's circle said images of the supreme leader could be expected to be
released within one or two months and that he might even appear in public
then, although all three sources stressed he would only emerge when his health
and the security situation allowed.
'WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIS WORLD VIEW'
In Iran's theocratic system of
rule, ultimate power is meant to be wielded by the supreme leader, a
venerable Shi'ite Muslim cleric appointed by an assembly of 88 ayatollahs. The
leader oversees the elected president while directly commanding parallel
institutions including the Revolutionary Guards, a powerful political and
military force.
Iran's first supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, enjoyed unquestioned authority as the charismatic
leader of the revolution and the most learned cleric of his day.
His successor, Ali Khamenei, was a
less revered cleric but had served as Iran's president. He spent decades
cementing his authority after his appointment in 1989, partly through promoting
the power of the Revolutionary Guards.
His son Mojtaba does not command
absolute power in the same way, senior Iranian sources have previously told
Reuters. The Revolutionary Guards, who helped steer him into the top
job after his father's assassination, have emerged as the dominant
voice on strategic decisions during the war. Iran's UN mission didn't
respond to questions about the power wielded by the Guards and the new
supreme leader.
As an influential figure in his
father's office, Khamenei had previously spent years involved in
exercising power at the top levels of the Islamic Republic, officials and
insiders have said, building ties with senior Guards figures.
While he is widely seen as likely
to continue his father's hardline approach due to his links to the Guards, we
don't know much about his world view, said Vatanka at the Middle East
Institute.
Khamenei's first communication with
Iranians as supreme leader came on March 12, saying in a written statement read
out by a television news presenter that the Strait of Hormuz should stay
closed and warning regional countries to shut US bases.
His office has since issued a few
other brief written statements from him, including on March 20 when he welcomed
in the Persian new year, which he named the "year of resistance".
Public statements of policy on Iran's war stance, its approach towards
diplomacy, neighbours, ceasefire negotiations and domestic unrest, have been
made by other senior officials.
'WHERE IS MOJTABA?' MEMES CIRCULATE ONLINE
Khamenei's absence is widely
discussed on Iranian social media and in messaging app groups, when the
country's patchy internet allows, with conspiracy theories widespread about his
condition and who is running the country.
One popular meme circulating online
is a picture of an empty chair under a spotlight with the slogan "Where is
Mojtaba?"
However, some government
supporters, including a senior member of the Basij militia, a volunteer
paramilitary group run by the Revolutionary Guards, said that it was important
for Khamenei to keep a low profile, given the threat posed by waves of US and
Israeli airstrikes that have already wiped out much of the country's leadership.
A lower-ranking Basij member
agreed.
"Why should he appear in
public? To become a target for these criminals?" Mohammad Hosseini, from
the city of Qom, said in a text message.
















