Iran's new supreme leader 'in full health' after war injuries

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in "full health" after suffering injuries during the opening hours of the US-Israeli war on Feb. 28, according to a senior official who provided the first detailed account of the compound attack.

Wartime injuries

Mazaher Hosseini, director general of protocol at the supreme leader's office, told Fars News Agency that he was present when the strikes hit on Feb. 28 — the same day Mojtaba Khamenei's father Ali was killed along with senior officials in nearby locations. Hosseini said the new supreme leader was knocked down by a blast wave while heading toward his residence, suffering kneecap and lower back injuries that have since improved.

He dismissed speculation about forehead wounds, noting only a "small crack behind the ear" that was already treated, and confirmed that Khamenei's residence was directly targeted in the bombardment, killing his wife and several others. Mojtaba Khamenei assumed office on March 9 following his father's death and was not in his usual lecture hall at the time of impact — a site that was later "flattened" by the strikes.

Conflict context

Hosseini warned that Iran's adversaries are actively seeking audio or video material related to Khamenei to "carry out action against him," adding that the supreme leader would speak publicly at an "appropriate time." A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, though initial talks in Islamabad three days later failed to secure a lasting agreement, and US President Donald Trump subsequently extended the truce without setting a deadline while Washington enforces a naval blockade on Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.