A series of conflicting reports about the condition and whereabouts of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has raised questions over who is actually making decisions in Tehran and how much authority he exercises over the Islamic Republic.
The controversy began after Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath cited what it described as an Israeli security source claiming that Khamenei was no longer in Iran. The report, which was widely repeated in Israeli media, also alleged that statements and directives attributed to him were in fact being drafted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi and other senior officials.
Israeli officials familiar with the intelligence reject that account.
According to information held by Israel, Khamenei is alive, wounded and remains inside Iran. One security official said he continues to issue instructions despite his injuries and that senior figures in Tehran are still awaiting his decisions.
“He is wounded, he is alive and he continues to give orders,” the official said. “In Iran, they are still waiting for his position and his instructions.”
Khamenei has not appeared in public since he was injured during the opening strike of Operation Lion’s Roar, in which his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was killed. Since then, all of his public statements have been issued in writing.
His prolonged absence has fueled speculation inside and outside Iran about whether he is physically capable of governing and whether the IRGC has effectively taken control of the state.
An Israeli security source said the lack of public appearances does not necessarily mean that Khamenei has lost all control. Rather, it may reflect intense concern that Israel could attempt to assassinate him again.
“He is not 100%,” the source said. “He is operating in a way that makes it extremely difficult to reach him, partly so that he does not expose his location.”
Another senior Israeli official described Khamenei as physically injured and politically weak.
“Mojtaba is in Iran,” the official said. “He is wounded and is a very weak figure who is being managed by Vahidi. They are deliberately building a sense of mystery around him, but the truth is that Vahidi writes everything for him. He is not really an important figure.”
Israeli defense officials believe the regime is deliberately concealing Khamenei’s location for security reasons. Still, they acknowledge that the pattern of written statements, no recorded voice and no public appearances conveys weakness and a lack of visible leadership at a highly sensitive moment for Iran.
Khamenei’s absence from his father’s funeral was viewed by Israeli officials as particularly unusual. Even if the decision was made for security reasons, they said, it suggested that there was a serious problem at the top of Iran’s leadership.
Reports have indicated that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered severe facial burns in the opening attack and has remained in a protected hiding place ever since.
In recent days, he issued a written statement apparently intended to calm tensions inside Iran following his father’s funeral. However, supporters of the hard-line camp demanded that he either show his face or allow the public to hear his voice.
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