Mojtaba Khamenei Survives Israeli Strike That Killed His Father
Survival Amidst Chaos
Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly appointed supreme leader of Iran, narrowly escaped an Israeli attack that resulted in the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. Reports indicate that he stepped outside their residence just moments before the strike, as revealed in leaked audio from an internal Iranian meeting. The audio, shared by The Telegraph, captures a conversation among Iranian officials regarding the February 28 missile strike on the elder Khamenei's compound. According to the recording, Mojtaba had been with his father shortly before the incident but left the building mere minutes before the missiles hit. Mazaher Hosseini, the head of protocol for the elder Khamenei, recounted in a March 12 meeting that it was 'God's will' for Mojtaba to step outside, stating, 'He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile.' Tragically, his wife, Haddad, was killed instantly in the attack.
The assault was part of Operation Epic Fury, an Israeli initiative aimed at dismantling Iran's leadership and military capabilities. According to the leaked discussions, multiple Blue Sparrow ballistic missiles were deployed against the compound. Hosseini informed a gathering of senior clerics and commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that at least three missiles were launched. One missile targeted the area where the elder Khamenei was located, another struck the floor housing Mojtaba's residence, and a third hit the home of his brother-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani. 'The missile was so powerful that it went downstairs where Misbah was, it went to Misbah's room,' Hosseini explained. 'The missiles were struck in a way that cut his head in half.' The elder Khamenei, along with several high-ranking officials and family members, perished in the attack.
Hosseini reported that Mojtaba Khamenei sustained only a 'minor injury to his leg,' confirming earlier claims that he survived the attack. Another son of the late leader, Mostafa Khamenei, also escaped unharmed along with his wife. The official further described the horrific condition of Mohammad Shirazi, an Iranian military leader killed in the strike, stating, 'He was blown to pieces — they could find nothing from him, and at the end they found a few kilos of flesh and identified it as his body.' The emergence of this leaked audio has intensified speculation regarding Mojtaba Khamenei's health and location, as he has not been seen publicly since the onset of the conflict. Former President Donald Trump remarked that U.S. officials are uncertain about the Iranian leader's status, saying, 'A lot of people are saying that he's badly disfigured. They're saying that he lost his leg, one leg, and he's been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he's dead.' Trump noted the unusual absence of public sightings of Mojtaba, adding, 'We haven't seen him at all.'