Rumours are swirling that Iran’s newly crowned Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was severely wounded in a recent US-Israeli airstrike and is now secretly receiving medical treatment in Russia. Questions are mounting about whether he’s alive and still calling the shots in Tehran.
Secret Russian Hospital or Iranian ICU? Conflicting Reports
Kuwaiti outlet Al-Jarida claims a “high-ranking” insider says Khamenei was whisked away on a Russian military jet to one of Putin’s luxury palaces for emergency surgery, reportedly successful and personally arranged by the Russian president. According to the report, Iran’s hospitals were unable to handle his injuries amid ongoing attacks.
But hold on – another source close to an exiled dissident in London told The Sun Khamenei is actually being treated in Mashhad’s Sina University Hospital. That source warned he’s “very serious,” possibly lost one or both legs and suffered ruptured organs. He was said to be in a coma under the care of Iran’s top trauma surgeon, Minister of Health Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi.
Chaos and Confusion Inside Iran
An Iranian official confidentially admitted to The Telegraph: “No one knows anything about Mojtaba, whether he is alive or dead or how badly injured. He has no control over the war because he is not here.” Officials and commanders appear to be in the dark.
The mystery deepened with US officials adding fuel to the fire. Pentagon’s Pete Hegseth claimed Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured.” Former President Donald Trump went further, telling NBC News, “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” and hinting at rumours of his death.
Israel ‘Knows Where He Is’ as Leadership Uncertainty Mounts
An Israeli security source bluntly revealed, “We know where he is,” while warning not to trust Iranian state propaganda. Earlier, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz blasted out a chilling threat on X (formerly Twitter): any successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be a “certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides.”
Mojtaba Khamenei took over after his father’s assassination on 28 February. Since then, he’s only issued one statement condemning attacks on US bases and vowing revenge — but crucially, he has not appeared in public.
Israel Strikes Khamenei’s Private Plane Amid Escalating Tensions
In a further blow to the Iranian regime, the Israel Defence Forces announced they destroyed a private jet owned by the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. The IDF said the plane was key to regime officials for military procurement and communications with allies. Its destruction will “damage the Iranian terrorist regime’s leadership coordination capabilities.”
With political and military chaos swirling, the burning question remains: who is truly in charge of Iran’s war effort?
