Iran's new supreme leader dead, wounded? President's son clears air
What's the story
Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "safe and sound," Yousef Pezeshkian, son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, said after reports claimed he was injured during the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States. He said he had heard news about Khamenei's injury but was assured by sources that he is unharmed. "I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound," said Yousef.
Injury speculation
State media calls him 'wounded veteran of Ramadan war'
Iran state television had earlier referred to Khamenei as a "wounded veteran of the Ramadan war," although no specifics about his injuries were disclosed. The New York Times also reported that he suffered leg injuries on the first day of the war, which began on February 28 when his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike.
Public absence
Mojtaba Khamenei yet to address nation after appointment
Khamenei, who was named supreme leader on Sunday, has largely stayed out of the public eye since his appointment. The New York Post reported that he was made the leader despite opposition from his late father and not winning a majority vote from the Assembly of Experts. Experts told The New York Post that the assassinated Supreme Leader was so opposed to his son succeeding him that he even included it in his will.
Profile
Khamenei has never held government position
Khamenei, who is 56 years old, has never held a government position but has been a key figure in his father's regime. He was once dubbed "the power behind the robes" in leaked US diplomatic cables. At least 49 other high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in the joint US-Israeli airstrike. Khamenei's mother, wife, and son were among those killed.