TEHRAN — Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “safe and sound” despite reports of an injury during the US-Israeli bombing on the country, said the son of the Iranian president on Wednesday. “I heard reports that Agha Mojtaba had been injured,” said Yousef Pezeshkian, in a report published by the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA Wednesday. “I asked some people who were in contact with him. They said that, thank God, he is safe and there are no concerns,” added Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser. State television had called Khamenei a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” but never specified his injury, leading many to speculate over his health. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has not been seen since, nor has he given any statement since becoming supreme leader on Monday. He is believed to have close ties with Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps, and holds even more hardline views than his late father. US President Donald Trump has criticized his appointment, warning Tehran that any leader appointed without consulting Washington “won’t last long”. Mojtaba Khamenei long has been a secretive figure within Iran. His father and wife were both killed in US-Israeli airstrike on 28 February that started the war. The younger Khamenei’s mother was also later killed in separate attacks on March 2. Israel targeted Mojtaba Khamenei last week, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter. But Israel believes he was only injured in the attempt. — AgenciesTEHRAN — Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “safe and sound” despite reports of an injury during the US-Israeli bombing on the country, said the son of the Iranian president on Wednesday. “I heard reports that Agha Mojtaba had been injured,” said Yousef Pezeshkian, in a report published by the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA Wednesday. “I asked some people who were in contact with him. They said that, thank God, he is safe and there are no concerns,” added Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser. State television had called Khamenei a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” but never specified his injury, leading many to speculate over his health. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has not been seen since, nor has he given any statement since becoming supreme leader on Monday. He is believed to have close ties with Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps, and holds even more hardline views than his late father. US President Donald Trump has criticized his appointment, warning Tehran that any leader appointed without consulting Washington “won’t last long”. Mojtaba Khamenei long has been a secretive figure within Iran. His father and wife were both killed in US-Israeli airstrike on 28 February that started the war. The younger Khamenei’s mother was also later killed in separate attacks on March 2. Israel targeted Mojtaba Khamenei last week, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter. But Israel believes he was only injured in the attempt. — Agencies
