A mural depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran.
Iranian official reveals rare details of Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition
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An Iranian Health Ministry official said Monday that injuries sustained by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during US-‘Israeli’ strikes in late February were only “superficial,” offering rare details about the day he was wounded.
The 56-year-old supreme leader has not appeared publicly since assuming office following the killing of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the US-‘Israeli’ attack on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28, which triggered the Middle East war.
His statements have since been limited to written messages, fueling speculation about his health.
In March, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba Khamenei was likely “injured” and “disfigured.”
Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour provided details about the day Mojtaba was wounded and taken to an unspecified hospital.
He said Mojtaba arrived at the hospital at around 1 PM Tehran time on Feb. 28 and “entered the operating room alongside several other wounded individuals.”
According to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Kermanpour said: “Aside from superficial injuries to the face, head, and legs that did not require amputation or cause any other medical complications, nothing serious happened.”
“From my perspective as a doctor, these injuries were not considered serious and required no special procedures apart from one or two stitches,” he added.
Kermanpour also said Mojtaba, who was fasting during Ramadan, “refused to break his fast and continued fasting until sunset, which reflects his good health.”
He added that the supreme leader left the hospital at around 2 AM. on March 1, but did not specify where he was taken afterward.
On May 7, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had met with the supreme leader and that their meeting lasted two and a half hours.
Three days later, Iranian state television reported that Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters commander Ali Abdollah Aliabadi met Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who gave “new directives and guidance to continue operations against the enemy.”
