Dead or Alive? Iran’s new Supreme Leader missing 72 hours after appointment

Questions are mounting over the whereabouts and health of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, three days after his appointment, with reports suggesting he may have been wounded during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

According to sources cited by Reuters, Khamenei, the second son of late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, has not made any public appearance or issued a statement since he was chosen as the country’s new supreme leader.

The selection was reportedly pushed through by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which saw Mojtaba Khamenei as a figure likely to support its hardline policies.

Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts announced the appointment late on Sunday, following the killing of his father in a strike on February 28.

However, speculation about the new leader’s condition intensified after a state television presenter referred to him as a “janbaz,” a Persian term used for wounded war veterans.

Reuters said it could not independently verify whether Khamenei was injured in the attacks that killed his father.

The silence surrounding the new leader could be linked to security concerns or possible injuries sustained during the strikes.

Sources within Iran’s political establishment also said the Revolutionary Guards played a decisive role in pushing for his selection, reportedly pressuring clerics who had reservations about what some saw as a hereditary succession.

The development has raised fears among some political insiders that Iran could move toward a more militarised system, with the Revolutionary Guards gaining greater influence over national decisions.

Experts warn that the new leadership arrangement could result in a more hardline foreign policy and stricter internal control.

“Mojtaba owes his position to the Revolutionary Guards, so he may not wield the same independent authority his father had,” said Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute.