The whereabouts of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei have remained a mystery since his elevation to the top post earlier this month. US President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he was “not alive” while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted vehemently that ‘nothing was wrong’ with their new leader. Reports have now suggested that Khamenei might be in Russia — receiving treatment for serious injuries suffered during the initial attacks
According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, Mojtaba Khamenei was secretly flown to Moscow on a Russian military aircraft. The publication said he had left Iran on March 12 and underwent a “successful” surgery for severe leg injuries sustained during the first wave of US-Israeli strikes. It cited a “high-ranking source close to the Supreme Leader” to add that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally offered medical assistance during a call with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
The claim aligns with previous source-based reports from various publications that suggested Khamenei suffered serious injury to his leg. But there has been no official confirmation from authorities — and Iran continues to insist that “there is no problem with the new supreme leader”.
Israeli and American publications have repeatedly claimed that he was injured during the initial strikes that killed his father and multiple family members. Iran has pushed back vehemently against the claims and insisted the new leader was fine. But it is pertinent to note that discussions about his health first began after Iranian state television referred to Mojtaba Khamenei as a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” soon after the election. Some analysts believe this was a subtle acknowledgement that he was injured during the strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Is Mojtaba Khamenei injured?
Israeli media recently suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was critically injured during the February 28 strikes that killed his father. According to Ynet News, Israeli intelligence officials believe Mojtaba was wounded in the opening strike of “Operation Roaring Lion.” Two Israeli military officials later told The New York Times that intel suggested Khamenei had suffered serious leg injuries.
UK-based tabloid The Sun cited a source who ‘smuggled messages out of Tehran during an internet blackout’ to claim the Supreme Leader had lost a leg and remained in a coma. Sources cited by The Sun claimed he had “also suffered serious stomach or liver damage”. The publication claimed he was being kept within a high-security, sealed-off trauma ward at Sina University Hospital but did not specify when or how he was ‘injured’.
A source-based CNN report, meanwhile, claimed Khamenei had sustained minor injuries during the first day of strikes — including a fractured foot, bruising around his left eye, and small cuts on his face.
What does the White House say?
US President Donald Trump also flagged the “rumours” on Saturday and said he was “hearing Khamenei is not alive”. acknowledged that the reports were currently “a rumour” but noted that the new leader of Iran had remained out of view since his appointment. His remarks came a day after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured” in the recent military strikes.
“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him. I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” Trump told NBC News on Saturday.