Rumours swirled on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in a US-Israel attack during the West Asian war but was safe and sound.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s son, Yousef, claimed in a Telegram post: “I heard news that Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound.”
Despite Yousef’s post, there have been increasing questions about his whereabouts and physical condition following the Assembly of Experts’ announcement of his appointment as the next Supreme Leader.
Until recently, a low-profile official in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office, Mojtaba, was propelled to global attention after he was named the successor as Supreme Leader of Iran after his father’s death.
His appointment received an immediate response from both the US and Israel, who announced that Mojtaba was now a target for elimination.
Since then, Mojtaba has not been seen or heard in public, though the public broadcaster called him a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” without specifying the injury details.
Israeli intelligence agencies assessed that Mojtaba suffered minor injuries, and that was why he hadn’t come out in public, an international media report claimed.
Another American media report, quoting three unnamed Iranian officials, claimed Mojtaba “had suffered injuries, including to his legs, but that he was alert and sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication.”
Speculation was rife that the new Supreme Leader was injured in the daytime airstrike on a compound in Tehran that had killed his father, mother, and wife on February 28.
Meanwhile, Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, threatened US President Donald Trump in a social media post on Tuesday (March 10) that the latter would be a target for elimination.
“Even those greater than you could not eliminate Iran. Watch out for yourself, lest you be eliminated!” Larijani said in the post.
Earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Trump had said that Iran would be hit by the US “twenty times harder” than previous strikes if it tries to stop the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the strikes will make it impossible for Iran to “ever be built back”.
“Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them – But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” Trump wrote. Previously, Trump threatened Mojtaba that he would not be able to “live in peace”.