Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei narrowly survived a deadly airstrike targeting his family and top leaders of the Islamic Republic’s leadership. Mojtaba Khamenei was targeted in the same attack that killed his father, Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other members of the Islamic Republic’s leadership, according to an audio obtained by The Telegraph.
On February 28, minutes before an Israeli Blue Sparrow ballistic missile struck Mojtaba’s home, Mojtaba went for a walk in the garden of his father’s compound. Mojtaba survived with only minor leg injuries as he briefly left the building.The audio was recorded by Mazaher Hosseini, chief of protocol at Ali Khamenei’s office, during a speech to senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders on March 12.Click here for live war updates It provides the first detailed account of what happened inside the supreme leader’s compound during the strike. Hosseini revealed that Mojtaba’s wife Zahra Haddad-Adel and their son Bagher were killed in the strike. Husseini said the body of Mohammad Shiraz, the head of Khamenei’s military bureau, was “blown to pieces.” According to him, the purpose of this strike is to eliminate the entire Khamenei family. Mojtaba lived with his father in the same compound, which also contained a religious hall where Ali Khamenei gave speeches and residences for other children. Hosseini explained that the missiles struck multiple locations simultaneously, some of which directly targeted the residence of the supreme leader.“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go into the courtyard to do something and then come back. He was outside and about to go upstairs when they hit the building with missiles. His wife Ms. Haddad was immediately martyred,” Hosseini said in the audio. His brother, Mustafa Khamenei, and his wife were also at another nearby home when the attack occurred. Dust and rubble partially obscured them from harm.In addition to Ali Khamenei, the attack killed senior officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Chairman Mohammad Pakpour and Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who were meeting in the building. Husseini said the attack on Mohammad Shiraz was aimed at disrupting succession plans because Shiraz is an important link between Iran’s military command and the supreme leader. “The enemy knows that in striking the Supreme Leader they also strike at him because they know he will replace those who were killed and when the new [commanders] After being introduced, they have the opportunity [influence] Thugs and infiltrators and do something. He was blown to pieces – they couldn’t find anything on him and eventually they found several kilograms of flesh and confirmed it was his body,” Hosseini said.Missiles also hit the upper-floor residence of Mojtaba, the residence of Misbah and the residence of Mustafa and his wife.The audio comes amid speculation about Mojtaba Khamenei’s injury and leadership abilities. Previously, multiple media reported that Mojtaba was seriously injured in an air strike and is currently in a coma.An Iranian official told The Telegraph that military commanders were unaware of his current condition. “Mojtaba was chosen, but against the wishes of the supreme leader and perhaps against his own wishes. We still have not heard anything from him.” Mojtaba first came to public attention in March 1985 when 17-year-old Mojtaba disappeared for a week while serving on the front lines of the Iran-Iraq War.Although he survived the conflict, IRGC commanders initially considered him inexperienced.None of Ali Khamenei’s other children have been seen in public since the strike, and Mojtaba’s only communication has been in written messages read out on state television.
