Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei suffered a fractured foot, bruised eye and face lacerations during the initial wave of airstrikes by the US and Israel, according to new reports.
Khamenei, who was appointed as his father’s successor earlier this week, allegedly suffered minor injuries during the Feb. 28 airstrikes, with the supreme leader sheltering inside a highly secure location, Iranian officials told The New York Times.
It was the first update from Iranian sources about Khamenei’s condition following reports that he was severely wounded and allegedly unconscious, with the supreme leader still missing and yet to issue any public statement.
Israeli outlets had repeatedly claimed Khamenei suffered a leg injury shortly after the start of the war, with further details coming out about a bruise around his left eye and minor lacerations to his face, CNN reported.
Khamenei was wounded in the same airstrike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, told the Guardian newspaper.
Along with the ayatollah, the strike also reportedly killed the slain leader’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law.
Despite Iranian officials claiming that Khamenei was fine and awake, Salarian suggested the injuries from the strike have left the new supreme leader unable to give a convincing statement, leading to his failure to make any public appearance.
“I don’t think he is comfortable (in any condition) to give a speech,” Salarian told the Guardian.
The full extent of Khamenei’s injuries and status remains unclear.
The new supreme leader was notably absent from his own succession rally in Tehran on Monday, when thousands of his supporters came out to celebrate his appointment as Iran’s new leader.
The civilians were instead created with a mere portrait of the nepo-baby mullah, which was overshadowed by a frame of his father that was twice the size and positioned at the center of the stage, according to state media footage of the event.
Khamenei’s ascension has made him a clear target for the US and Israel, with President Trump previously slamming the heir as an “unacceptable” choice to lead Iran.
Trump has said that without his personal stamp of approval, Iran’s new leader is “not going to last long.”
The post New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei suffered fractured foot, face injuries on first day of Iran war: reports appeared first on New York Post.
