Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in critical condition and receiving treatment in Qom after reportedly being wounded in a joint US-Israeli strike, according to media reports.
The 56-year-old cleric is said to be unconscious and undergoing care for a serious medical issue in the city of Qom. Some accounts describe him as being in a coma and currently unable to take part in any administrative decision-making.
This is believed to be the first time the whereabouts of Iran’s Supreme Leader have been publicly disclosed. Qom, located roughly 140 km south of Tehran, is regarded as one of the holiest cities for Shia Muslims and is often considered the religious center of the Islamic Republic.
Reports citing an intelligence memo, said to draw on US and Israeli intelligence shared with Gulf partners, claim that Khamenei is presently incapable of participating in the regime’s decision-making process. These reports also state that American and Israeli agencies had been aware of his location for some time but had not released this information earlier.
Previous accounts indicated that Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with members of his family, were killed in the February 28 joint airstrike conducted by the United States and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei, who was subsequently appointed as the new Supreme Leader, was also reported to have sustained serious injuries in the same attack.
Iran has yet to issue any official statement regarding his current medical condition, and recent contradictory reports have surfaced despite earlier claims by some Iranian officials.
