The injuries suffered by Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in the air strike have almost healed, Al Arabi reported, citing Mazaher Hosseini, coordinator of government meetings.
The new Iranian leader was injured in the attack on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched a joint military operation against Iran. The attack killed his father, Rahbar Ali Khamenei, and his wife.
According to an Iranian official, the explosion knocked Mojtaba Khamenei to the ground and injured his knee and back, as well as causing a small wound behind his ear. Hosseini stressed that the back injury has already healed and the knee is expected to recover soon. A small wound behind his ear is hidden by his turban, he added.
The Iranian official stressed that there is no reason to worry about Mojtaba's health. According to him, "hostile parties are seeking to obtain records or information about the Supreme Leader in order to attack him."
The head of the international relations department in the office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Mohsen Qomi, also told the publication that Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and continues to lead state affairs, including negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal notes that this is the first time that Iranian authorities have publicly disclosed details about the new Supreme Leader's injuries.
Mojtaba Khamenei took office after the death of his father. Immediately afterwards, the United States announced a $10 million reward for information on him and other key officials.
The New York Times reported in early March that Mojtaba Khamenei had been wounded on the first day of the Israeli-US attack. According to the newspaper, he had sustained injuries, including to his legs, but had managed to hide "in a heavily fortified location with limited communications."
At the same time, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Mojtaba Khamenei was "likely disfigured." He supported his claim by pointing out that there was no video or audio recording of Mojtaba. "I think you know why," the US defense secretary added. US President Donald Trump, for his part, did not rule out the possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei was dead.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied this. They confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei was indeed injured, but stressed that the supreme leader was “fine.”
The Kuwaiti newspaper “Al-Jarida” presented a different version. Citing its own sources, it claimed that Mojtaba may have been taken to Moscow for treatment. Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said that this information was false. He considered the dissemination of such information an act of psychological pressure. The Kremlin declined to comment.
In April, the “Times” newspaper, citing American and Israeli intelligence, reported that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “incapacitated.” due to serious condition and is being treated in the city of Qom.
Iran will respond with a massive strike if its tankers or merchant ships are attacked, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement.
According to the statement, in the event of such an escalation, Iran will strike “one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships“.
Before the military conflict with Iran, Israel established a secret military base in Iraq, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing its sources.
According to the sources, the facility served as a logistics center for the Israeli Air Force, and special forces and search and rescue teams were also stationed there in case Israeli aircraft were shot down during military operations. When a US F-15 fighter jet crashed over Iran, Israel offered assistance to Washington, the publication notes. The US military evacuated the two pilots on its own, but Israel launched airstrikes to ensure the safety of the rescue operation, the publication's source noted.
In early March, the Israeli base was almost discovered, the newspaper reported. A local resident noticed an unusual level of military activity, after which Iraqi troops went on reconnaissance, but were attacked. Subsequently, Iraqi authorities sent additional forces to inspect the area, which found signs of a possible military presence there.
The newspaper notes that the US sets up temporary facilities before military operations. A similar facility was set up in Iran during the evacuation of US pilots in early April, the same media outlet reported. After the rescue mission, the US blew up the planes and helicopters that failed to leave the base.