Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran's New Leader Survives Israeli Airstrike - What’s Next?

[The Public=Reporter Yang Won-mo] Moztaba Hameinei, who was elevated to Iran's supreme leader on the 8th (local time), has not appeared publicly for more than ten days, fueling concern about his health. New details have since emerged indicating he narrowly survived an Israeli airstrike on the 28th of last month.

On the 16th, The Telegraph reported that it had obtained and analyzed audio from a closed Iranian leadership meeting.

According to that report, at about 9:30 a.m. on the morning of the strike, Moztaba left a senior leadership compound in Tehran and went into a garden. The attack came moments later. An Israeli missile struck just before he re-entered the building, meaning he escaped catastrophe by only minutes. He reportedly sustained only minor leg injuries.

The strike hit the heart of Iran's power: the presidential office, the supreme leader's workplace, and the national security council meeting area. Israel is reported to have obtained advance intelligence about a meeting the supreme leader might attend and then launched the attack. Damage reportedly extended beyond official workspaces to religious sites and family residential areas.

Some reports say the strike killed a number of Iran's top leaders, including Ali Khamenei and some family members, along with senior military and government officials. Iran's military command — reportedly including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander and the defense minister — also suffered significant losses.

Meanwhile, Moztaba formally assumed the role of supreme leader following Khamenei's death, but his continued absence from public events has intensified speculation. Theories range from relatively minor injury to critical condition, or even evacuation to Russia. Several foreign outlets reported he suffered fractures and facial wounds in the bombing and is receiving treatment in Russia.

The Iranian government has denied those claims. The foreign minister said the supreme leader is in full health and is exercising normal control of state affairs.