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Speculation has swirled that Mojtaba Khamenei was critically wounded in an Israeli strike that killed his father Ali Khamenei.
10:47, Mon, Mar 16, 2026 Updated: 11:10, Mon, Mar 16, 2026
Russia has commented on reports surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei (Image: Getty)
Russia has broken its silence on whether Vladimir Putin secretly flew out Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for lifesaving surgery. The 56-year-old was reportedly injured in the airstrike that killed his father and the previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Reports soon surfaced, citing Iranian sources, that Mojtaba was smuggled out of Iran and being treated at a clinic in one of Putin's palaces. A source close to the new supreme leader told Al-Jarida in Kuwait that he was being taken to Moscow on a Russian military plane.
Mojtaba Khamenei took over from his father. (Image: Getty)
He called it a "highly secret operation because of his health and security situation", though there is independent evidence to support his claim.
The source said Mojtaba's operation inside one of Putin's presidential palaces was "successful".
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked on Monday if there is any truth to these reports, but he did not confirm or deny. He said: "We do not comment on such reports."
Donald Trump questioned whether the new supreme leader, who hasn't been seen since Operation Epic Fury began, is "even alive" in a new interview.
He told NBC News: "I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him."
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also claimed on Friday that the son of Ali Khamenei is "wounded and likely disfigured".
This comes after Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran, issued an update on Mojtaba's health. He said: "The Leader of the Revolution is in complete health and is fully managing the situation."
In his statement, shared by Iranian state news outlet ISNA on X, Araghchi didn't immediately provide any evidence supporting the health condition of the country's leader.
He also said Tehran is prepared to form a committee with regional countries to investigate the recent attacks and clarify which targets were struck.
The senior official claimed that Iran’s military operations are aimed exclusively at US bases and interests in the region and, so far, no civilian or residential areas in neighbouring countries have been targeted.
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