High-level secrecy surrounds reported injury to Mojtaba Khamenei

TEHRAN: Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is seriously injured, and access to him by senior Iranian officials has been severely restricted.

The American newspaper The New York Times has said in its report that when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the Supreme Leader of Iran, he had complete authority over all decisions related to war, peace, and negotiations with the United States, but the role of his son and successor is different.

According to the newspaper, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has become a mysterious figure who has neither appeared in public nor been heard from since his appointment in March.

According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the bombing of his father’s compound in American and Israeli attacks on February 28, in which his wife and son were martyred.

According to the newspaper, access to him has also become extremely limited and difficult, and he is currently mostly with a group of doctors and medical staff who are treating his wounds.

According to the report, senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and high-ranking government officials also do not meet with him because they fear that Israel could track their location and target Mojtaba Khamenei.

The New York Times says that Iranian President Masoud Peshkeshian, who is also a heart surgeon by profession, has been involved in the treatment of Mojtaba Khamenei.

The newspaper quoted four senior Iranian officials as saying that, despite being seriously injured, Mojtaba Khamenei is mentally alert and active.

He has had three surgeries on one of his legs and is awaiting a prosthetic leg. He has also had surgery on one of his hands, and doctors are gradually restoring the function of his hand.

According to officials, his face and lips are severely burned, which makes it difficult for him to speak, and he will need plastic surgery in the future.

According to the report, he has not yet recorded any video or audio message because he does not want to appear weak in his first public address.

The newspaper said that messages to Mojtaba Khamenei are delivered by hand in sealed envelopes from one trusted person to another, while instructions given by Mojtaba Khamenei are also delivered back in the same manner.