Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has remained out of public view since taking over the country’s highest office, even as his written statements and social media activity continue to signal a hardline stance towards the United States.
Khamenei has issued more than a dozen written messages since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28 after leading Iran since 1989. Mojtaba was reportedly wounded in the same attack, which also killed his wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, and other members of the Khamenei family.
There has been no independent confirmation that Mojtaba Khamenei survived the attack. Iranian officials, however, have said he was wounded, prompting speculation that he is staying out of public view while recovering and taking additional security precautions.
His latest message, issued last month and read on Iranian state television, warned Washington of “unforgettable lessons” if it continued attacking Iran. He also dismissed US President Donald Trump’s signature as “worthless and invalid”.
The statement came as Tehran suspended its commitments under an interim agreement reached about a month earlier, amid continued US-Iran exchanges of strikes against military and infrastructure targets. It was also Khamenei’s first public message since the conflict intensified, at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the fighting remained uncertain.
Pezeshkian’s reported meeting adds to mystery
Questions over Khamenei’s whereabouts have intensified following a reported encounter between him and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
According to Iran International, Pezeshkian was taken to an undisclosed location in Tehran for a brief meeting with a man introduced to him as the new supreme leader. The president was reportedly escorted into the back seat of a dark vehicle with tinted windows, where the man identified as Khamenei was already seated.
Security personnel allegedly kept the windows dark and prevented the two men from seeing or shaking hands. The pair reportedly communicated only by voice.
The report said Pezeshkian later questioned whether the voice he heard actually belonged to Khamenei. The meeting was said to have lasted only a few minutes, despite Pezeshkian later telling trade association representatives that he had spent two and a half hours with the supreme leader in a “cordial atmosphere”.
Pezeshkian had reportedly sought a meeting with Khamenei several times and had threatened to resign. His office eventually secured an audience, but the meeting did not take place at the supreme leader’s official residence, as had previously been customary.
Reports raise questions over Khamenei’s health
Khamenei’s health has also become the subject of speculation.
Israeli media reports have claimed that the supreme leader is in critical condition and has been taken to a hospital, though his reported health status has not been independently confirmed.
Channel 14, citing sources inside Iran, and the Jerusalem Post, citing IranWire and sources close to Pezeshkian’s administration, have reported that rumours of Khamenei being in an “extremely critical condition” are circulating among senior Iranian officials.
One source cited by the Jerusalem Post said officials would not be surprised if news of his death emerged soon.
The reports have also alleged that Khamenei suffered injuries and may have been disfigured in the initial strikes on his father’s compound. According to those accounts, the injuries may have forced him into hiding, with senior officials communicating with him through intermediaries to reduce the risk of another attack.
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Pezeshkian has meanwhile said in a state television interview that direct contact with the supreme leader is currently “very difficult”.
Israeli source says Iran’s supreme leader is abroad
The uncertainty has extended to Khamenei’s whereabouts.An Israeli security source cited by Saudi outlet al-Hadath claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei “is not in Iran”. The source further alleged that his official statements are being prepared by newly appointed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi along with other senior IRGC officials.
Khamenei’s continued absence has meanwhile elevated other senior Iranian figures in the country’s post-war decision-making. Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have emerged as prominent voices shaping Iran’s direction.
That development has reportedly caused friction with hardliners, who accuse the visible leadership of weakening traditional state institutions in an effort to consolidate their own influence.
Khamenei warns Trump as conflict continues
Despite remaining unseen, Mojtaba Khamenei has continued to issue messages defending Iran’s position.In his statement, he said the US would face “unforgettable lessons” if it escalated the conflict, while asserting that Iran and the wider “Resistance Front” would respond.
The statement came after Tehran announced that it was suspending commitments under an interim agreement reached roughly a month earlier, as fighting between Iran and the US continued.
Mojtaba’s elevation followed the death of his father, who had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989. The younger Khamenei had previously operated largely away from the public spotlight before being thrust into one of the Islamic Republic’s most powerful positions.
For now, however, his prolonged absence, reports about his health and conflicting accounts of his whereabouts have left unanswered questions about who is directly running Iran’s leadership and how much influence its new supreme leader is exercising from behind the scenes.
