Tehran, Iran. Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was lightly injured but is continuing to operate, an Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday after state television described him as war wounded. Khamenei has not been seen publicly or issued any statement since his selection on Sunday by a clerical assembly.
Official account and lack of public appearance
The Iranian official did not give details about when Khamenei was injured or why he had not made any statement to the public since his appointment. Khamenei has not been seen by Iranians since his selection and has made few public speeches or appearances in the past.
State television reports on casualties
State television said the first air strikes in the war were aimed at decapitating Iran’s leadership and, besides Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed Mojtaba Khamenei’s mother, sister and wife. A news anchor said Mojtaba Khamenei was “the heir to the blood” of his father, mother, sister and wife, and referred to him using an Iranian term for a wounded veteran and the name Iranian officials have given the current conflict because it is happening during Islam’s fasting month.
Israeli assessment
Israel’s intelligence assessment is that Khamenei was lightly wounded and that this is why he has not been seen in public, a senior Israeli official told Reuters.
Succession and role in the state
Mojtaba Khamenei was seen as a hardliner close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and was the leading contender to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of strikes on February 28. Sources told Reuters the new supreme leader was pushed through with extensive support from the Revolutionary Guards. Long the head of his father’s office, known in Persian as the beyt, he has had a direct role in running the Iranian state for years.
What impact do you think the lack of public appearances by Iran’s new supreme leader will have on public perception?
