Iran’s latest supreme leader has not made any public appearances since the conflict with the US began. Reports suggest that he suffered severe facial burns in an airstrike and is in need of plastic surgery.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen or heard from since he took office. It is said that he sustained serious injuries during an airstrike on February 28.
Tensions between the US and Iran escalated in late February following joint US-Israeli attacks on key Iranian locations. In retaliation, Iran targeted various sites in the region and closed the critical trade route of the Strait of Hormuz.
Although Khamenei was critically injured, sources claim he remains mentally alert and involved in decision-making. He has undergone multiple surgeries to recover from the attack, which also resulted in the death of his father and former leader, Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei, aged 56, has had several surgeries, including on his leg, which required three procedures, and he is awaiting a prosthetic limb. Additionally, he has had surgery on his hand and is slowly regaining mobility.
According to reports, Khamenei’s face and lips suffered severe burns, affecting his ability to speak, and he will likely need plastic surgery. Government officials avoid visiting him out of fear that Israel might track and harm him.
Messages to Khamenei are delivered through handwritten notes sealed in envelopes, passed along by trusted couriers using a secure chain of communication routes to reach his location. President Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon, and the health minister are involved in his medical care.
Khamenei maintains limited direct contact with Iranian officials, with many refraining from visiting him due to security concerns. Decision-making authority has been delegated to his generals, while different political factions in Iran continue to engage in discussions.
Experts believe that Khamenei’s close ties with the military leaders, developed during his service in the Iran-Iraq conflict as a young man, have solidified their dominance in the current power structure.
