Iran's Supreme Leader is alive, conscious and communicating but majorly bedridden due to severe injuries, including burns on his face and lips, rendering him unable to move or speak. Since taking over as the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba has neither appeared in public nor been heard speaking.
On February 28, Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes, with reports also indicating that several members of his family died in the attack. Six weeks later, Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the position of Supreme Leader.
Needs plastic surgery on face
According to a report by The New York Times, he is currently surrounded by doctors and medical staff treating serious injuries sustained in the airstrikes.
Four senior Iranian officials familiar with his condition said one of his legs has undergone three surgeries and he is awaiting a prosthetic. He has also had surgery on one hand and is gradually regaining function. Severe burns to his face and lips have made speaking difficult, and he is expected to require plastic surgery.
How Mojtaba Khamenei communicates
Despite his position, senior commanders of the IRGC and top government officials are not visiting him. However, President Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon, along with the health minister, has been involved in his treatment.
The report adds that communication with Mojtaba Khamenei is conducted through handwritten, sealed messages passed along a chain of trusted couriers travelling discreetly by road. Responses are returned using the same method.
Sanam Vakil of Chatham House said he is not yet fully in control. She noted that while he formally signs off on decisions, he is currently presented with outcomes that have already been decided.
More recently, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a televised address that Iran’s response to Washington’s nuclear proposal had been shared with Khamenei, and that his views were considered.
According to the report, concerns about his safety, his physical condition, and the difficulty of reaching him have led to key decisions being delegated to military leaders for now.
