Iran's newly designated Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is unconscious and in a critical condition following the same American-Israeli airstrike that killed his father on February 28, the British newspaper The Times has reported.
Mojtaba Khamenei © Reuters
Iran's newly designated Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is unconscious and in a critical condition following the same American-Israeli airstrike that killed his father on February 28, the British newspaper The Times has reported.
Citing a diplomatic memo based on US and Israeli intelligence shared with Gulf allies, the paper paints a dire picture: Mojtaba Khamenei is described as "unable to participate in any decision-making operations within the regime" and "incapable of leading the country." He has not been seen or heard publicly since the strike, despite being formally designated to succeed his father in early March. Only written statements read aloud on state television have emerged in his name.
For the first time, the memo also reveals his location. Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly receiving medical treatment in Qom, the holy Shia city 87 kilometres south-west of Tehran that serves as the seat of Iran's clerical establishment.
The same document discloses that the body of Ali Khamenei is being prepared for buria, also in Qom, where construction work on a large mausoleum with space for "more than one tomb" is already underway.
If confirmed, the intelligence assessment raises urgent questions about who is actually governing Iran at one of the most volatile moments in the country's modern history, and whether the regime can maintain coherent leadership under the pressure of an ongoing war.
By Mariam Al Mualla
Hezbollah on Wednesday rejected accusations that it had dispatched experts to Yemen to fight alongside the Houthis in their war against the internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia.
The US Democrats' "blue wave" of midterm election victories is already causing ripples across the rest of the world, where trade partners, strategic allies and enemies all see implications in the result.
Iran and the United States are still far from a deal to end their war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump declined to rule out a resumption of US combat operations after the elections in the United States.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.