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
Iran wants to charge fees for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as part of its proposals to end the war with Israel and the United States after blocking most traffic through the crucial energy waterway for weeks.
Qatar's Prime Minister has issued one of the Gulf's most direct condemnations of Iran's military campaign, demanding an immediate halt to what he called "unjustified Iranian attacks" on Qatar and neighbouring countries.
U.S. strikes on Iran's Kharg Island do not represent a change in American strategy, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday as a U.S. official separately told Reuters the additional strikes on military targets did not impact oil infrastructure.
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