Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei survived a deadly airstrike that targeted his family and top members of the Islamic republic’s leadership. According to an audio obtained by The Telegraph, Mojtaba Khamenei was targeted in the same attack that killed his father and Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other members of the Islamic Republic’s leadership.
Mojtaba had gone out for a walk in the garden of his father’s compound just minutes before his residence was struck by Israeli Blue Sparrow ballistic missiles on 28 February. Due to his brief absence from the building, Mojtaba’s life was saved, with only a minor injury to his leg.
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The audio was recorded on March 12 during an address delivered by Mazaher Hosseini, the protocol chief of Ali Khamenei’s office, to senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders.Click here for live updates of the war 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 attack. According to Hosseini, the body of Mohammad Shirazi, head of Khamenei’s military bureau, was “cut into pieces”. According to him, the aim of this attack was to wipe out the entire Khamenei family. Mojtaba lived in the same compound as his father, which also contained a religious hall where Ali Khamenei gave speeches and residences for other children. Hosseini said the missiles hit several locations simultaneously, some of which were aimed directly at the supreme leader’s residence.Hosseini was heard saying in the audio, “God willed that Mojtaba had to go out into the yard to do something and then come back. He was outside and going upstairs when they hit the building with a missile. His wife, Ms. Haddad, was martyred instantly.” His brother Mustafa Khamenei and his wife were in another residence nearby when it was also attacked; Dust and debris partially protected them, causing no harm.In addition to Ali Khamenei, the attack also killed senior officials including Mohammad Pakpour, the IRGC chief, and Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who had gathered for a meeting inside the compound. Hosseini said the attack on Mohammad Shirazi was aimed at disrupting succession planning, as Shirazi was a key link between Iran’s military command and the supreme leader. “The enemies knew that while killing the supreme leader, hit him also because they knew that he would replace those killed, and when new (commanders) would be brought in, they might get a chance to influence the rioters and infiltrators and do something. “He was dismembered – they didn’t find anything on him, and in the end they found a few kilos of meat and identified it as his body,” Hosseini said.The missiles also hit Mojtaba’s upper floor residence, Misbah’s house and the residence of Mustafa and his wife.The audio comes amid speculation over Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and ability to lead. Earlier, several media reports had claimed that Mojtaba was in a coma after being seriously injured in the air strike.An Iranian official told The Telegraph that military commanders had no information about their current situation. “Mojtaba was selected, but it is against the wishes of the Supreme Leader and perhaps even against his own wishes. We have not heard anything from him yet.” Mojtaba first came to public attention at the age of 17 when he disappeared for a week in March 1985 while serving on the front lines of the Iraq–Iran War.IRGC commanders initially considered him inexperienced, although he survived the conflict.None of Ali Khamenei’s other children have appeared in public since the attack and Mojtaba’s only communication has come through a written message read on state television.