Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a coma after suffering serious injuries in an air strike, according to shock new reports.
The Sun newspaper make the astonishing claim, stating that Khamenei, son of previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, lost at least one leg and also suffered extensive stomach or liver damage in one of the first attacks on the nation, undertaken by the US and Israel.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike on February 28, with Iran moving to name his son as his replacement on March 8. Yet, if The Sun are to be believed, Mojtaba Khamenei has also been critically wounded (it’s unclear if it was in the same attack).
He released his first written statement on Thursday, which was broadcast on Iranian State TV but not read out by Khamenei himself. Instead, a newsreader recited the script, with Iran vowing to “avenge the blood” of Iranians killed in the war .
Khamenei has not been seen in public and there have been no confirmed photos or videos of him since he became supreme leader.
It’s reported by The Sun that he is not directing the country’s strategy in the conflict, which includes closing off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea lane for oil exports from countries including Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, among others.
A source is said to have told The Sun that Khamenei’s condition is critical, claiming he is in intensive care at the Sina University Hospital in Tehran. He is under the care of Mohammad Reza Zafargjani, who serves as Iran’s Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education and is regarded as one of the nation’s best trauma surgeons.
“One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well,” an unnamed source, said to have smuggled messages out of Iran, told The Sun.
Khamenei’s aforementioned first written statement, meanwhile, urged countries surrounding Iran to close US bases.
“We send a message to the leaders of the region and emphasise that we are going to have good relations with the countries around us,” the statement says, according to The Mirror.
“But the existence of the US bases in some of these countries and usage of those bases to attack Iran is not benefiting the region, and they must be closed.
“As we said, we are not an enemy of the countries around us, and we are only targeting the bases of those Americans.”
As per the latest information, Iran’s Health Ministry have reported at least 1,444 deaths, with as many as 18,551 people injured.
With the conflict showing no sign of stopping, President Donald Trump posted a fiery message on Truth Social today, March 13, claiming that Iran’s armed forces have been “decimated”.
“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” Trump wrote.
“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
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