Iran’s New Supreme Leader Has Severe And Disfiguring Wounds, Reuters Sources Say

DUBAI, April 11 (Reuters) – of Iran new Sublime According to information given to Reuters by three people close to his close circle, Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still recovering from the serious facial and leg wounds he received in the air strike that killed his father at the beginning of the war.

Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack sublime All three sources said the leader was seriously injured in one or both legs at his compound in central Tehran.

Still, the 56-year-old man is recovering from his injuries and remains mentally fit, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He attends meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and takes part in decision-making processes on important issues such as war and warfare. negotiations Two of them said they had met with Washington.

The question of whether Khamenei’s health allows him to handle state affairs is currently on the agenda: of Iran We experienced the greatest moment of danger in decades with the start of high-risk peace talks with the United States in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Saturday.

Accounts from people close to Khamenei’s inner circle offer the most detailed account of the leader’s situation in weeks. Reuters could not independently verify these statements.

Khamenei’s whereabouts, status, and ability to govern still remain largely a mystery to the public; No photographs, videos or audio recordings of him have been released since the airstrike and his appointment to replace his father on March 8.

of Iran The United Nations mission did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the extent of Khamenei’s injuries or why he was not yet visible in any footage or footage.

Khamenei was injured in the attack on February 28, the first day of the war launched by the USA and Israel, in which his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the country since 1989, was killed. Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law were among the family members killed in the attack.

There was no official statement from Iran regarding the extent of Khamenei’s injuries. However, after receiving his name, an announcer on state television described him as a “junkie”, a term used for those seriously injured in war. sublime leader.

Statements regarding Khamenei’s injuries are as follows: expression This claim was made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on March 13, when he said that Khamenei was “wounded and possibly disfigured”.

A source familiar with US intelligence assessments told Reuters that Khamenei is believed to have lost a leg.

The CIA declined to comment on Khamenei’s situation. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to questions.

Whatever the severity of his injuries, the new and inexperienced leader is unlikely to be able to command the overall power wielded by his father, said Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. He added that although Vatanka appears to represent continuity, it may take years for it to establish the same level of automatic authority.

“Mojtaba will be a single voice, but it will not be decisive,” he said. “He needs to prove himself as a reliable, strong and superior voice. The regime as a whole has to make a decision about where they are going.”

A person close to Khamenei’s circle said the following images: sublime He said the leader could be expected to be released in a month or two and might even appear in public then, but all three sources emphasized that he would only appear when his health and security situation permits.

Inside of Iran In the theocratic system of government, ultimate power is sublime The leader is a respected Shiite Muslim cleric appointed by a parliament of 88 ayatollahs. While the leader supervises the elected president, he directly directs parallel institutions, including the Revolutionary Guard, a powerful political and military force.

of Iran First sublime The leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had unquestioned authority as the charismatic leader of the revolution and the most knowledgeable cleric of his time.

His successor, Ali Khamenei, was a less respected cleric, but of Iran minister. After his appointment in 1989, he spent decades consolidating his authority, in part by encouraging the power of the Revolutionary Guard.

Senior Iranian sources have previously told Reuters that his son, Mujtaba, does not have the same absolute power. Revolutionary Guards, helped guide He emerged as the person who took him to the top post after his father’s assassination. dominant voice It’s about strategic decisions during the war. of Iran The U.N. mission did not respond to questions about the force used by the Guard and the new forces. sublime leader.

Khamenei, an influential figure in his father’s office, has previously years spent He participated in the use of force at the highest levels of the Islamic Republic and established ties with senior Guard figures, officials and insiders said.

While he is widely seen as likely to continue his father’s hard-line approach because of his connections to the Guard, we don’t know much about his worldview, said Vatanka of the Middle East Institute.

Khamenei’s first communication with Iranians sublime The leader arrived on March 12 and, in a written statement read by a television news anchor, said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed and warned regional countries to close US bases.

His office has since released several other brief written statements from him, including one on March 20, when he welcomed the Iranian new year, which he called “the year of resistance.” Public policy statements of Iran His war stance, approach to diplomacy, neighbors, ceasefire negotiations and civil unrest were echoed by other senior officials.

Khamenei’s absence is widely discussed on Iran’s social media and messaging app groups, when the country’s spotty internet allows, along with conspiracy theories about his situation and who is running the country.

One of the popular memes doing the rounds on the internet is one that reads “Where is Mojtaba?” It is a photograph of an empty chair under a spotlight with the slogan.

But some government supporters, including a senior member of the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary group led by the Revolutionary Guard, said it was important for Khamenei to keep a low profile given the threat posed by U.S. and Israeli air strikes that have wiped out much of the country’s leadership.

A lower-ranking Basij member agreed.

“Why would he go out in public? To become a target for these criminals?” Mohammad Hosseini from the city of Qom said in a text message.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Additional writing by Jonathan Landay in Washington and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Pravin Char)