UK Times reported on Monday that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is “in a state of incapacity and receiving treatment in the holy city of Qom.”
This report, based on “American and Israeli intelligence and diplomatic memos shared with Gulf states,” indicated that Khamenei is in a “grave condition” and “cannot participate in any decision-making by the regime.”
Qom, the provincial capital and one of Iran’s largest cities, is situated about 135 miles south of Tehran. It holds significance for both history and religion as it is a major center for Shia Islam and hosts the largest number of Shia madrasa (religious schools) in Iran. Notably, this was the location where the Iranian military surrendered in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution led by the country’s first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.
Recently, Qom was targeted by a US airstrike, believed to have resulted in at least five fatalities. Local authorities claimed that the strike hit a “residential building.” However, the diplomatic memos did not specify exactly where Khamenei was being treated in the city.
At 56, Mojtaba Khamenei became the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran when he took office on March 9, succeeding his father, Ayatollah Khamenei.
According to the diplomatic memos, the Iranian regime is “laying the necessary foundations to build a large-scale mausoleum in Qom” for Ali Khamenei, and possibly other family members who were killed in the airstrike. Earlier state media reports suggested that Khamenei’s remains would be interred in a Shiite shrine in his birthplace, Mashhad, with a public ceremony planned in Tehran.
President Donald Trump once referred to Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in history,” and there are concerns that his son’s history might not lead to any improvement. Mojtaba reportedly played a significant role in the violent suppression of the January uprising in Iran, during which thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of citizens were killed to maintain the regime’s power.
Since his appointment, rumors have circulated regarding the new supreme leader’s alleged incapacitation or even death from injuries sustained in the airstrike that removed his father. He has not appeared publicly or issued any confirmed statements, though a document of unclear origin has been read on camera by someone else.
Additionally, Khamenei did not attend the ceremony where he was formally declared “supreme leader” and received pledges of allegiance. Although the regime has attempted to bolster his image with posters and paintings, he has been mockingly termed the “Cardboard Ayatollah” due to false images of authorities installing actual cardboard cutouts of him.
Most statements attributed to Khamenei mostly convey threats of retaliation against the US and Israel. For example, he reportedly proclaimed on April 1st that they would “continue to support Iranian terrorism throughout the Middle East.”
