Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly unconscious after strike

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, is reportedly unconscious and undergoing treatment in the city of Qom following injuries sustained in a recent US-Israeli strike, according to a report by The Times.

Citing a diplomatic memo shared by US-Israeli intelligence with Gulf allies, the report claims Khamenei was severely wounded in the same February 28 attack that allegedly killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The injuries have reportedly left him unable to participate in governance or decision-making.

“Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision-making by the regime,” the memo states, as quoted in the report.

The document also discloses the location of the Supreme Leader for the first time since he assumed office, placing him in Qom—a key religious centre about 87 miles south of Tehran and a city of deep significance in Shia Islam.

According to the report, US and Israeli intelligence agencies had identified his location earlier but had not made it public until now.

Speculation grows amid absence from public view

Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking over leadership, fuelling speculation about his condition and even rumours of his death in the February strike.

Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly maintained that he remains in charge and continues to influence the country’s strategic decisions amid the ongoing West Asia tensions, while acknowledging that he was injured in the attack.

In recent days, two statements attributed to Khamenei were broadcast on state television. A video purportedly showing him entering a war room and reviewing a map of Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility was also released.

On April 6, he was also reported to have condemned the killing of IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khamenei, asserting that assassinations would not weaken the regime, while criticizing remarks made by Donald Trump.

The conflicting narratives—between intelligence claims and official Iranian statements—continue to deepen uncertainty over the leadership situation in Tehran.