"Disfigured and Disabled": Trump Claims New Iranian Leader Lost a Leg in Strikes

The health and whereabouts of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, have become a central mystery in the ongoing war. Intelligence reports from both the U.S. and Israel indicate that the 56-year-old successor was "very seriously wounded" during the opening wave of strikes on February 28, which targeted the compound housing his father’s residence. While Iranian state media continues to issue written statements in his name, he has not made a single public appearance or delivered an audio address since taking office. President Donald Trump has fueled the speculation, suggesting that the leader may be "badly disfigured" or even dead, adding that "nobody's seen him, which is unusual."

A Leader in Isolation Detailed reports indicate that Mojtaba may have been secretly airlifted to Moscow by a Russian military plane for urgent medical treatment. According to sources close to the leadership, he underwent surgery in a private hospital within a Russian presidential palace to treat extensive injuries to his left side. Iranian security services reportedly approved the move due to fears that Israeli intelligence would track local specialists to pinpoint his location. The absence of a traditional Nowruz (Persian New Year) video address was seen by American officials as a "major red flag," especially as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian released a holiday video. "We don't think the Iranians would go through all this trouble to install a dead man," one official noted, "but we have no proof he is at the helm."

The internal power struggle is further complicated by claims that recent statements issued in Mojtaba's name were actually authored by other senior figures, such as Ali Larijani, before his own death. While the Iranian ambassador to Moscow has dismissed these reports as "psychological warfare," the total lack of visual proof has left the Iranian public and the international community questioning who is actually making the decisions in Tehran. As the Revolutionary Guard attempts to maintain a grip on the country, the potential incapacitation of the new Supreme Leader suggests a regime that is effectively leaderless at its most critical moment.