A disfigured face and a missing leg: new details about the injury of Iran’s guide
The critical health condition of Iran’s new guide may explain his absence from any visual or audio appearances, but it also raises questions about his ability to lead.
Considerable ambiguity still surrounds Khamenei’s whereabouts, his condition, and his ability to govern in the eyes of the public, as no photograph, video, or audio recording has been released since the airstrike that preceded his appointment as successor to his father on March 8.
Amid these persistent questions, three sources close to the inner circle of guide Mojtaba Khamenei said he is still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries sustained in the air raid that killed his father at the beginning of the war.
The three sources told Reuters that Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on his father’s compound in central Tehran, and that he was seriously injured in one or possibly both legs.
Questions about whether Khamenei’s health allows him to manage state affairs arise as Iran faces its most serious crisis in decades, with peace talks of unpredictable outcome with the United States opening this Saturday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Accounts from those close to him provide the most detailed description of the leader’s condition in weeks. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify the accuracy of these accounts.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to Reuters’ questions regarding the extent of Khamenei’s injuries or the reasons for his absence from any visual or audio appearances so far.
Khamenei’s son was injured on February 28, the first day of the war waged by the United States and Israel, in the strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, his brother-in-law, and his wife’s sister were among the other family members killed in the raid.
No official Iranian statement has been issued regarding the extent of Khamenei’s injuries. However, a state television presenter described him after his selection as Supreme Leader as a “janbaz,” a term in Iran used to refer to severely wounded fighters.
Accounts of his injuries are consistent with a statement made on March 13 by U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who said that Khamenei “was injured and his features were likely disfigured.”
A source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that there is a belief that Khamenei may have lost one of his legs.
The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment on Khamenei’s condition, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not respond to questions.
Who is in charge?
Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that regardless of the severity of his injuries, it is unlikely that the inexperienced new guide will be able to exercise the absolute authority his father enjoyed.
He added that although Mojtaba is viewed as an extension of his father’s system, it may take years for him to build the same level of authority.
He continued: “Mojtaba will be one voice, but not the decisive one. He must prove himself as a credible, strong, and dominant voice. The regime as a whole must decide which direction it will take,” meaning he does not possess sufficient authority and that the Revolutionary Guard effectively controls decision-making.
A person close to Khamenei’s circle said that images of the guide are expected to be released within a month or two and that he may appear publicly then. However, the three sources stressed that he will only appear when his health condition and the security situation allow it.
Where is Mojtaba?
Mojtaba Khamenei’s first communication with Iranians as Supreme Leader came on March 12, when he stated in a written message read by a television presenter that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed.
Since then, his office has issued a few brief written statements, one of them on the 20th of the same month on the occasion of the Persian New Year.
Extensive discussions are taking place regarding Khamenei’s absence on Iranian social media and messaging application groups, whenever the country’s intermittent internet access allows, with various theories circulating about his condition and who is running the country.
Among the widely circulated satirical images on the internet, known as memes, is one showing an empty chair under a spotlight with the slogan: “Where is Mojtaba?”
