Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has suffered far more serious injuries than previously disclosed and may require a prosthetic leg following multiple surgeries, according to a report by The New York Times.
Citing four officials familiar with the matter, the report said Khamenei has undergone three surgeries on one leg and is awaiting a prosthesis.
NYT reported that he has also had surgery on his hand and sustained severe burns to his face and lips, making speech difficult. Plastic surgery is expected.
Despite remaining mentally capable of making decisions, his physical condition has significantly limited his direct engagement.
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Access to him is highly restricted, largely confined to a medical team, with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon by training, and the country's health minister personally involved in his care, the report said.
Khamenei has had minimal contact with military leadership during ongoing negotiations, creating what analysts describe as a growing power vacuum increasingly filled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Mojtaba is not yet in full command or control,” Sanam Vakil of Chatham House told NYT, adding that decisions are often presented to him as fait accompli.
Echoing this, Ali Vaez said, “Mojtaba is not supreme; he might be leader in name, but he is not supreme the way his father was… Mojtaba is subservient to the Revolutionary Guards.”
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The report added that the IRGC played a decisive role in halting planned talks with the United States in Islamabad, overriding civilian leadership, including President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei following his death in US-Israeli strikes, has not made any public appearances or verbal statements since assuming office. Communication with him is reportedly being conducted through sealed, hand-delivered letters.
Describing the evolving leadership structure, former adviser Abdolreza Davari told NYT, “Mojtaba is managing the country as though he is the director of the board… The generals are the board members.”
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