US intelligence has reportedly uncovered that Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had misgivings about his son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeding him, fearing he was not bright enough for the role. Sources told CBS that the late leader viewed his son as unqualified to lead the country.
Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as the new Supreme Leader by Iranian state television last Monday, more than a week after his father was killed in a missile strike that triggered the current Middle East conflict. He had long been considered a contender but had never been elected or appointed to a government position. The younger Khamenei now holds central authority over war strategy, as Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard answers to the Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba has not been seen publicly since the war began, fueling rumours that he was injured or killed in the initial missile barrage that killed his father. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Friday that Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured,” questioning why he issued a written statement rather than appearing on camera. An Israeli assessment indicated he was wounded in the war's opening salvo and may be in a secure location to avoid assassination.
President Donald Trump told NBC: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him. I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.” However, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi claimed today that the leader is “in full health and is fully managing the situation.”
US intelligence also reportedly revealed that Mojtaba Khamenei previously underwent treatment for impotency in private UK hospitals. A classified 2008 US State Department briefing, later released by WikiLeaks, said he faced pressure to produce heirs and was treated at London's Wellington and Cromwell Hospitals. The document noted he married late in life due to an impotency problem that was eventually resolved.
