Iran’s New Supreme Leader Reportedly in Coma After US-Israeli Airstrike

Iran has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after reports emerged that the country’s newly installed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a coma following a United States–Israeli airstrike.

The 56-year-old cleric, son of the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, has reportedly not been seen in public since assuming leadership earlier this week. His father and wife were killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli airstrike on February 28, an incident that triggered the current conflict.

According to reports citing sources familiar with the situation, Mojtaba Khamenei sustained severe injuries during the attack. The injuries allegedly include the loss of at least one leg and serious internal damage, possibly to the liver or stomach.

A source quoted in the report said the Iranian leader is currently in critical condition.

“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,” the source claimed.

Despite the reported condition, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written statement on Thursday his first since succeeding his father vowing retaliation against those responsible for the attacks on Iran.

“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said in the statement. “Every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy is an independent subject for the revenge case.”

He also pledged justice for victims of a reported American Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, which allegedly killed 175 children.

Meanwhile, the Iranian leader is believed to be receiving treatment at Sina University Hospital in Tehran, where parts of the facility have reportedly been sealed off and heavily guarded by security personnel.

The escalating conflict has prompted thousands of foreign nationals to leave the Persian Gulf region. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office said more than 45,000 British citizens had departed the region, while the U.S. State Department confirmed that around 40,000 Americans had returned home.

Casualty figures from the conflict continue to rise. Nearly 500 people have reportedly been killed in Lebanon, while Iranian authorities say more than 1,300 people have died in the fighting. Israel has reported 12 fatalities.

The United States military has also confirmed the deaths of seven soldiers, with eight others suffering serious injuries as the conflict widens across the region.