Foreign reports have emerged that Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader who has remained in seclusion and out of sight throughout the war, is in an unconscious state. If the reports are accurate, the Donald Trump administration in the United States is likely negotiating with forces other than Supreme Leader Mojtaba.
The British newspaper The Times reported on the 6th (local time), citing diplomatic documents allegedly shared with Gulf states, that Supreme Leader Mojtaba is unable to participate in any decision-making. According to The Times, Supreme Leader Mojtaba is currently receiving treatment in Qom, a Shiite holy city in central Iran. The documents are believed to have been compiled based on intelligence from the United States and Israel.
The Times also reported that, based on the documents, intelligence agencies have identified activities indicating preparations for groundwork to construct one or more large burial sites in Qom. The Times interpreted this as suggesting that Supreme Leader Mojtaba could be buried alongside family members, including his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba lost his father, mother, wife, children, sister, and nephew all at once in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28. The funeral for former Supreme Leader Khamenei has yet to be held even as the 40-day Shiite Islamic mourning period nears its end. It is speculated that this is because the funeral could become a target for Israeli airstrikes.
Since being selected as Iran's new Supreme Leader on the 8th of last month, Supreme Leader Mojtaba has issued two statements to date. However, he has never appeared in public or released any audio recordings of his voice. On the 12th of last month, Supreme Leader Mojtaba issued his first official statement through state television, emphasizing that "the leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used as a means of pressure against the enemy," but it was not an audio message. Some have suggested that Supreme Leader Mojtaba was urgently airlifted to allied Russia for surgery. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth went further, claiming on the 13th of the same month that Supreme Leader Mojtaba had been injured and that his appearance was likely disfigured as a result. The United States has also placed a bounty of up to $10 million (15 billion won) on Supreme Leader Mojtaba.
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