Iran's ruling clerics have appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new Supreme Leader, even though he was critically wounded in an airstrike and is believed to be in a coma, according to reports. Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly, has also lost one of his legs and is unable to walk.
However, Mojtaba Khamenei also made his first remarks since his appointment. Interestingly, the first message was read out by a news anchor on Iranian state television rather than by Khamenei himself, as he did not appear on camera. Iranian media did not explain his absence, even as reports circulated that he had been injured during the opening airstrike of the US-Iran war.
Khamenei Remains a Mystery
Sources told The Sun that Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly lost at least one leg and suffered severe injuries to his stomach or liver. It remains unclear whether he was wounded on the same day his 86-year-old father was killed on February 28.
However, he is not believed to be directly overseeing the military strategy that has recently unsettled global energy markets.
In what appeared to be an unusual effort to address his absence, Iranian state television aired what it described as his first statement since taking power. Instead of appearing himself, the message was read aloud by a news anchor.
In the statement, Iran warned it would not hesitate to "avenge the blood of Iranians" who had been killed, while also vowing to continue strikes on Dubai and to shut down the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
A source in Iran's capital, Tehran, has reportedly shared detailed information about the new leader's condition, medical treatment, location, and the heavy security surrounding him.
According to the source, Mojtaba Khamenei is currently receiving intensive care at Sina University Hospital, located in the city's historic district, where a section of the facility has been sealed off and placed under tight security.
The source, who requested anonymity to The Sun out of fear for his safety, managed to bypass Iran's near-total internet blackout to send messages to an exiled dissident in London.
Unable to Function
Although the person is not a medical professional, he said he knows members of the hospital's trauma team who told him Mojtaba was in "very serious" condition and being treated under the supervision of Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi.
Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi is Iran's Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education and is also regarded as one of the country's leading trauma surgeons.
According to the source cited by The Sun, a message claimed: "One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well."
Zafarghandi's Persian Wikipedia page notes that he developed much of his surgical experience during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, where he spent eight years performing operations amid the conflict.
The surgeon, 70, was himself wounded by chemical weapons during the war and is considered one of the Iranian regime's most trusted physicians.
