Iran‘s new supreme leader’s face is severely disfigured but he is still alive and taking part in meetings, his inner circle has said.
Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly suffered injuries to one or both legs and his face in the airstrike which killed his father in central Tehran at the end of February.
But Reuters reported he remains mentally sharp and is recovering from his injuries.
The 56-year-old was taking part in meetings through audio conference and has been contributing to major decisions on the war and negotiations with Washington.
Peace talks between Iran and the US opened in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday as the new supreme leader’s location and exact condition remained unknown.
There has been no photo, video or audio recording of Khamenei since his appointment on March 8.
US Vice President JD Vance landed in Pakistan on Saturday for the first such talks since the war began, in what has been billed the biggest test of his career.
It comes as the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East showed signs of severe strain, with Israel and Hezbollah continuing to exchange fire in southern Lebanon and Tehran setting conditions before negotiations can begin.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the US-Israeli attack which started the war and killed his father
A woman holding a poster featuring the new supreme leader during a rally last month
In Khamenei’s absence the Iranian delegation is being led by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Tehran’s parliament .
Both he and Vance were set to hold separate talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Khamenei was wounded on February 28, the first day of the war begun by the US and Israel.
The new supreme leader rose to the role after his father Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989, was killed.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law were also among those who died in the strike.
There has been no official Iranian statement on the extent of Khamenei’s injuries but a state television newsreader described him as a ‘janbaz’, a term used for those badly wounded in war, after he was named supreme leader.
Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary, said on March 13 the new supreme leader was ‘wounded and likely disfigured’, while the CIA declined to comment on Khamenei’s condition.
Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Reuters that regardless of the supreme leader’s injuries, it was unlikely the new and inexperienced ruler would be able to command the overarching power wielded by his father.
While he is seen to represent continuity, it could take years for him to build up the same level of automatic authority, Vatanka added.
‘Mojtaba will be one voice but it will not be the decisive one,’ he said.
‘He needs to prove himself as the credible, powerful, overriding voice. The regime as a whole has to make a decision in terms of where they are going to go.’
In Iran’s theocratic system, ultimate power is meant to be wielded by the supreme leader, a Shi’ite Muslim cleric appointed by an assembly of 88 ayatollahs.
The leader oversees the elected president while directly commanding authorities including the Revolutionary Guards, a powerful political and military force.
Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, enjoyed unquestioned authority as the leader of the revolution, which began in 1978.
US Vice President JD Vance met Pakistan’s prime minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as peace talks began in Islamabad
His successor, Ali Khamenei, was a less revered cleric but had served as Iran’s president.
He spent decades cementing his authority after his appointment in 1989, partly through promoting the power of the Revolutionary Guards.
His son does not command absolute power in the same way, senior Iranian sources have previously said.
The Revolutionary Guards, who helped steer him into the top job after his father’s assassination, have reportedly become the dominant voice on strategic decisions during the war.
Khamenei’s first communication as supreme leader came on March 12, when he said in a written statement that the Strait of Hormuz should stay closed – he also urged Middle Eastern neighbours to close US bases.
His absence has been the subject of online conspiracy theories among Iranians, with one popular meme showing an empty chair under a spotlight and the caption: ‘Where is Mojtaba?’
But government supporters have said the threat against Khamenei from the US and Israel meant it was important to keep a low profile.