Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in strike that killed his father, Iran’s Cyprus ambassador confirms
Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in strike that killed his father, Iran’s Cyprus ambassador confirms
Alireza Salarian, Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus, confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei, the country’s new supreme leader, was injured during the 28 February attack that killed six relatives, including his father. The incident targeted the presidential complex in Tehran, marking the first day of US-led airstrikes against Iran. Salarian, speaking at his embassy in Nicosia, detailed the event, stating that Khamenei was “lucky to survive” the bombardment, which destroyed the late ayatollah’s home.
“He was also there and he was injured in that bombardment but I haven’t seen that reflected in the foreign news,” Salarian told the Guardian. “I have heard that he was injured in his legs and hand and arm … I think he is in the hospital because he is injured.”
Salarian noted that Khamenei had not been publicly active since taking over from his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday. “I don’t think he is comfortable [in any condition] to give a speech,” he added. The attack occurred during the holy month of Ramadan, on the 10th day, when Ali Khamenei was at his residence with family members, including Mojtaba’s wife, Zahra, and his teenage son, Mohammad Bagher, who were also killed.
Iranian media reported that Ali Khamenei’s wife, Mansour, died three days after the strike. Salarian described the casualties: “The [late] supreme leader was killed with his wife, with his daughter, with his son-in-law and with his daughter’s 14-month-old baby.” He mentioned that the family lived near the presidential office, and top commanders were also among the victims. “The supreme leader had four sons and two daughters and actually he lived in the same place where he worked,” he said.
Yousef Pezeshkian, a key government adviser and son of Iran’s president, noted Mojtaba Khamenei’s injury but offered no specifics. In a Telegram post, he wrote: “I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound.” An Iranian official also told Reuters that Khamenei was “lightly injured” and remained operational.
The attacks surprised Iran’s political and diplomatic elite, despite prior military buildup. Salarian criticized Trump’s stance, saying: “Nobody believed, expected or predicted the attacks when we had finished a third round of negotiations in Geneva. Trump is a phenomenon. He does not believe in rule of law internationally or even internally in his own country.”
Israel has warned of targeting Mojtaba Khamenei, viewing him as equally hardline as his father, who held the supreme leader post for 37 years. Salarian revealed that Ali Khamenei had resisted his son’s succession. “High-ranking clergymen did ask him but the late supreme leader said ‘no’ because he didn’t want a dynastic system. He was elected. [After the attack] top-ranking clergymen said: ‘This is your job; you have to obey.’”
Salarian estimated the war in Iran had resulted in 1,400 deaths by Tuesday, with Tehran’s population of 14 million reduced by half as people fled the bombardment. He praised the Biden and Obama administrations, contrasting them with Trump’s approach. “The late supreme leader himself announced that we are not going to have nuclear weapons based on Iran’s religious code under which using nuclear weapons is forbidden,” Salarian emphasized, highlighting Iran’s friendly relations with Cyprus despite ongoing tensions.