U.S. and Israel Wound Iran's New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Strikes Killing His Father

U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and set off an immediate, high-stakes succession process in Tehran: Iranian state television and clerical bodies announced that Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the slain leader, has been named supreme leader, a move presented as continuity amid an expanding regional war.

“Ball geolocated the video and found that it was taken from a site near the school on Feb”

Associated Press News

NPR reported that “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was Iran's supreme leader for 37 years and was killed on Feb. 28 in a U.S.–Israeli strike on Tehran,” while the Associated Press noted that “Iranian state TV early Monday said Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the country’s late supreme leader, has been named his successor.”

Associated Press News

The New York Times described the appointment in similar terms: “Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the country’s slain supreme leader, as his father’s successor, according to a statement from top clerics published in state media.”

The announcement came amid intense strikes and counterstrikes across the region, and outlets recorded the moment as part of a wider escalation with civilian and military targets being hit across several countries.

From the first hours after the strikes, multiple outlets recorded conflicting and murky reports about Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition: state and semi-official Iranian channels described him as wounded, while the lack of any clear public appearances or verified imagery generated intense speculation and rumours — including claims from opponents that he might be incapacitated.

Newsweek wrote that “reports have mounted that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father,” and that “Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency described Khamenei as a 'wounded' veteran of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.”

Folha de S.Paulo

The Guardian captured the communication vacuum: “The failure of the government communications machine to publish a single photograph, video or even text from Mojtaba three days after his elevation led to the inevitable speculation,” and La Milano noted that “The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, General Shiva is expected to deliver in the coming hours his first public speech since his appointment at the head of the Islamic Republic.”

Associated Press also reported state television’s naming of him while noting the wider confusion about his whereabouts.

Reporting from multiple outlets emphasizes Mojtaba Khamenei’s deep ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and his nontraditional path to power: U.S. sanctions and his close IRGC connections were repeatedly highlighted as indicators he would continue a hard-line, security-centred leadership rather than a clerically driven religious stewardship.

“President Donald Trump openly declared that he was not satisfied with the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei”

La Milano

USA TODAY noted that “The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019, saying he represented the supreme leader in 'an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position' aside from working in his father's office.”

The New York Times reported that he is “known for having close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and takes the helm not just as Iran’s new religious and political authority but also as the commander in chief of its armed forces,” while NPR similarly said Mojtaba “has close ties with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, signaling a continuation of his father's rule and hard-line stance.”

Newsweek underlined his low public religious profile and cultivation of IRGC influence.

The succession produced rapid domestic displays of support and stark political reactions abroad: state media and loyalist rallies were amplified even as opponents and diaspora critics voiced alarm and scepticism, and regional allies signalled backing.

La Milano reported that “thousands of supporters of the Iranian regime marched through the streets of the capital to demonstrate their support for the new authorities,” and that “The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei was praised by Iran’s main institutions.”

Newsweek

The New York Times observed that “Iranian reaction: Iran’s military and hard-line political forces trumpeted the selection, and state media amplified voices supporting the new leader,” while The Guardian noted loyalists circulated possibly doctored imagery (“Loyalists published a photograph of him that could have been AI generated”).

Associated Press also recorded streets of Tehran filling with supporters.

Even as Tehran sought to project continuity, analysts and reporters warned the leadership change may not alter the immediate trajectory of the conflict: several outlets said Iran’s security apparatus and the IRGC would keep running the war, while Israeli and U.S. statements signalled continued offensive aims and broader regional risk.

The Guardian argued that “Overall, the military strategy has been set, and the conduct of the war is on autopilot,”

NPR

Newsweek quoted an expert saying “His primary concern right now is staying alive, so he will continue to stay out of the public eye,”

and NPR relayed an Israeli official saying Israel believed it still needed time to pursue its military goals: Israel “needs three more weeks to accomplish its goal of wiping out Iran's military forces — but that Israel is fighting as if every day of the war could be the last.”

The New York Times also noted “There was no sign of an offramp for the war, as fears mounted that the fighting would broaden across the Middle East,” underscoring that Mojtaba’s elevation came into a conflict already in full motion.