Iran’s new Supreme Leader is ‘unconscious’ and currently incapable of running the country, according to a new intelligence memo.
An assessment understood to be based on American and Israeli intelligence says Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated for a ‘severe’ medical condition in the religious city of Qom.
Khamenei, 56, has not been seen in public since he took over as Supreme Leader from his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on the first day of the war.
The regime previously reported he had sustained a ‘minor’ injury to his leg in the strike that killed his father – as well as his mother, wife, and one of his sons – but it has never explained his absence.
But the fresh diplomatic memo, shared with Gulf allies and seen by The Times, suggests he is in a much more precarious condition than previously thought.
It reads: ‘Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision making by the regime.’
It’s not clear if he has been unconscious since being injured on the first day of the war, or if he picked up another injury later on.
This is the first time his whereabouts within Iran have been made public since he ascended to Supreme Leader, though it’s understood that American and Israeli intelligence have had the information for some time.
Qom is considered the religious capital of the country, and the intelligence claims Ali Khamenei’s body is also there, being prepared for burial.
The memo adds that work is ongoing in the city to ‘build a large mausoleum’ with room for ‘more than one grave’, suggesting family members could be buried alongside the late Supreme Leader.
A state funeral for Ali Khamenei was previously postponed, with the regime citing ‘anticipation of unprecedented turnout’ as the reason.
Two statements have been attributed to the junior Khamenei since he took power, but both were read out on state television by presenters.
The state channel released on Monday a video purporting to show the leader walking into a war room and analysing a map of an Israeli nuclear power plant, but this has been confirmed as AI-generated.
Opposition groups have previously claimed that Khamenei is in a coma, and thus far there has been no evidence to disprove this.
President Trump has claimed to be negotiating with Iranian representatives, but has been clear he does not mean the supreme leader.
It was revealed last month that Mojtaba Khamenei escaped death in the strikes on his father’s compound in Tehran after stepping outside when they hit.
Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for the regime, told senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered an injury to his leg
Leaked audio said: ‘God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return.
‘He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Ms Haddad, was martyred instantly.’
