Mojtaba Khamenei’s face ‘disfigured’ and legs severely injured - Reports

Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, continues to recover from severe facial and leg injuries sustained in the airstrike on February 28, which killed his father.

Three sources close to his inner circle told Reuters that the attack on the supreme leader's compound in central Tehran left Khamenei's face disfigured and caused significant injury to one or both of his legs.

Despite his injuries, he is recovering and remains mentally sharp, the sources said, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter. He participates in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and weighs in on key decisions, including the war and negotiations with Washington, per a Reuters report.

Khamenei's ability to manage state affairs is under scrutiny amid Iran's most severe crisis in decades, as high-stakes peace talks with the United States begin Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The recent reports, citing sources from individuals close to Khamenei's inner circle, offer the most detailed update on his condition in weeks.

Khamenei's whereabouts, health, and capacity to govern remain shrouded from the public, with no photos, videos, or audio recordings released since the airstrike and his appointment as his father's successor on March 8.

The former Supreme Leader’s son was injured on February 28, the first day of the U.S. and Israel-launched war, in the strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989.

Mojtaba Khamenei's wife, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law were among other family members killed.

No official Iranian statement has detailed Khamenei's injuries. However, after his naming as supreme leader, a state television newsreader called him a "janbaz", a term for those gravely wounded in battle.

Earlier, on March 13, U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Khamenei was "wounded and likely disfigured."

A source familiar with U.S intelligence assessments told Reuters that Khamenei is believed to have lost a leg, while it still remains unconfirmed.

As a key figure in his father's office, Khamenei had spent years wielding influence at Iran's highest levels, forging ties with senior Revolutionary Guards commanders. He is viewed as likely to uphold his father's hardline stance due to his Guards connections.

Khamenei's debut address as supreme leader came on March 12 via a written statement read by a TV newsreader, calling for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed and urging regional states to shutter U.S bases.