Mojtaba Khamenei Confirmed Wounded — Has Not Been Seen Since War Began, Father and Mother Killed Feb 28

Iranian state television, while reporting on the ascension of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, referred to him as 'janbaz' — a Persian term meaning 'one who has risked or sacrificed life,' specifically used for those wounded or maimed in battle. The anchors described him as wounded in the 'Ramadan war,' which is Iran's official designation for the current conflict. State TV did not elaborate on the nature or severity of his wounds. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the war began on February 28 — not at his father's death, not when named supreme leader overnight, and not at any public ceremony. His father, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and his mother were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the supreme leader's compound in Tehran on February 28 — the opening strike of the war. The revelation that Mojtaba is himself wounded while simultaneously being named supreme leader creates a profoundly unusual situation: Iran's new head of state is wounded, has not been seen in public, and is presumably in a secure undisclosed location. His actual capacity to govern and exercise supreme leader authority is unknown. The IRGC's oath of allegiance and the Qalibaf hardliner faction effectively hold governing power in the interim.