56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, who became the Supreme Leader of Iran after the death of his father, sustained leg injuries on the first day of military actions involving Israel and the U.S., reports the New York Times, citing Iranian and Israeli sources.
According to three Iranian officials, Khamenei is conscious and is hiding in a secured area with limited access to communication means.
Two military representatives from Israel confirmed that information about the injury of Ali Khamenei's son became available even before his appointment as the new leader of Iran.
The NYT notes that state television and the IRNA agency used the term "wounded war veteran," hinting at Khamenei's current condition.
However, the details of the injuries and their severity remain unclear.
Mojtaba Khamenei was proclaimed the new Supreme Leader of Iran on March 8, and since then he has not appeared in any videos or public events, nor has he made any official statements.
According to Reuters, Khamenei's new appointment was effectively carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC insisted on Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment, considering him a more compliant option compared to his father, who was willing to support their hardline political stance, allowing them to ignore the concerns of more pragmatically minded politicians.
With the onset of the conflict, the influence of the IRGC has significantly increased, and they quickly overcame objections from senior politicians and religious figures, which delayed the official announcement of the appointment for several hours, sources report.
Opponents of Khamenei's appointment express concern that by Tuesday evening, almost two days after his election, he had not made any public statements, despite the fact that the war had already claimed more than a thousand Iranian lives.
According to three senior Iranian sources, as well as one former reformist official and another insider, Khamenei's selection, orchestrated by the Revolutionary Guards, could lead to a more aggressive foreign policy and increased internal pressure.
Two of them expressed concern that the dominance of the IRGC in the state system could ultimately turn the Islamic Republic into a military state, concealed under a thin veneer of religious legitimacy.
The NYT report: the new Iranian leader was wounded at the beginning of the war first appeared on the K-News website.
