Iran's New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'Wounded' in Airstrike
Iranian media has revealed that Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader, was wounded in an airstrike at some point in the war.
An Israeli airstrike in Tehran on Feb. 28 killed his father and his wife at the outset of the conflict, as noted by Sky News.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has not been seen in public since the war began.
An Iranian media reference to him as being wounded did not elaborate on when he was wounded.
Iran’s state TV called Mojtaba Khamenei “Jaanbaz [injured war veteran] of Ramadan”, apparently suggesting he’s been wounded in the ongoing war.
It also claimed that Mojtaba is fluent in English, and has completed psychology and psychoanalysis specialized courses and is… pic.twitter.com/a3RzBAA2V4
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 9, 2026
Israel had earlier assessed that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in an airstrike that took place last week, according to the Times of Israel.
President Donald Trump said last week he opposed the selection, according to NBC News.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment,” he said. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me.”
Trump also said the new leader “is not going to last long” if Iran’s leaders did not have Trump’s approval.
Israel has said that it would include the new leader in its effort to wipe out Iran’s leadership ranks.
Mojtaba Khamenei is closely linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and emerged as the “gatekeeper,” the Times of Israel reported.
“The choice of Mojtaba is choice of continuity with his father, and also he is more ready than other candidates to quickly consolidate power and assert control over the system,” Vali Nasr, an Iran and Shiite Islam expert at Johns Hopkins University, said, according to The New York Times.
“Mojtaba is the wisest pick right now because he is intimately familiar with running and coordinating security and military apparatuses,” Mehdi Rahmati, an analyst in Tehran, said. “He was in charge of this already.”
People chanted “Death to Mojtaba” from their windows in Tehran’s Ekbatan neighborhood early Monday shortly before Iran’s Assembly of Experts announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, according to a video shared on social media. pic.twitter.com/nEiM7x7AbM
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 8, 2026
Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said that while selecting Mojtaba Khamenei might be a defiant action toward the U.S., it will not change Iran’s internal dynamics, according to CNN News.
“Is this going to solve the electricity shortage of the people or the water shortage? Unemployment and all the other problems that the regime is facing? No,” Alfoneh said.
When the New York Post asked Trump about his plans for the new leader, Trump replied, “Not going to tell you. Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him.”
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