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According to a report from Reuters on Saturday, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been left with significant facial and leg injuries following a joint airstrike by the United States and Israel on Tehran in February.
Khamenei is currently recovering from the injuries sustained during the airstrikes on February 28, which also claimed the life of his father, the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Since his hospitalization, Khamenei has not made any public appearances.
Despite his physical condition, Khamenei is reportedly “mentally sharp,” as per information from three unnamed insiders close to him, reported by Reuters. He is actively engaging with the Iranian delegation in Pakistan, which is involved in peace negotiations with a U.S. team led by Vice President JD Vance.
This report from Reuters aligns with a statement made earlier by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. On March 13, Hegseth informed the media that Khamenei was “likely disfigured.”
Vice President JD Vance is seen walking alongside Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’affaires Natalie A. Baker, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi upon his arrival for discussions with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)
He then reiterated the claim at a press conference Thursday while outlining the U.S. military’s achievements in Iran.
“Their top leadership was systematically eliminated, their previous Iranian supreme leader dead, the supreme national security council secretary dead, the supreme leader office advisor dead, the supreme leader military office chief dead, the defense minister no longer with us, the IRGC commander dead, the armed forces general staff commander dead, the intelligence minister dead, the IRGC navy commander no longer here, the IRGC Intel chief dead,” Hegseth said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on, to include the new so-called new supreme leader, wounded and disfigured. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran and second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 13, 2024. (Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)
Despite his weakened condition, Khamenei vowed to put up resistance in a defiant written statement Thursday.
“Iran is not seeking war but will not forfeit its rights and considers all resistance fronts as a unified entity,” the statement said.
Hegseth dismissed the statement as “weak” in his March press conference.
“It was a written statement. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement?” Hegseth asked. “I think you know why. His father, dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know.”
Sources reportedly told Reuters that Khamenei could enter the public spotlight in a month or two but only if “his health and the security situation allowed.
While many publicly question where and when we may see the supreme leader again, Iranian hardliners stress the importance of him keeping a low-profile.
“Why should he ​appear in public? To become a target for these criminals?” an Iranian militiaman asked Reuters in a text message.
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