Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in the 28 February attack that killed six of his family members, including his father, Tehran's ambassador to Cyprus has confirmed. Alireza Salarian said the 56-year-old cleric was lucky to survive the strike, which levelled the late ayatollah's residence.
In an interview at his embassy compound in Nicosia, Salarian said: 'He was also there and he was injured in that bombardment but I haven't seen that reflected in the foreign news. I have heard that he was injured in his legs and hand and arm … I think he is in the hospital because he is injured.'
The attack occurred on the opening day of US-led airstrikes against Iran, when the presidential complex in Tehran was targeted. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was at his residence with several family members, including Mojtaba's wife, Zahra, and his teenage son, Mohammad Bagher, who were also killed. Iranian media reported that Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansour, died three days later.
Salarian said the late supreme leader had not wanted his son to replace him, but after the attack, top-ranking clergymen insisted: 'This is your job; you have to obey.' Western intelligence services believe the new leader is being deliberately kept out of the public eye for fear of an assassination attempt.
The US president, Donald Trump, called Mojtaba Khamenei's election 'an unacceptable choice', adding: 'He is not going to last long.' Israel has warned it will not hesitate to assassinate the cleric, thought to be as hardline as his father.
