Mojtaba Khamenei (56), Iran's new supreme leader, is said to have narrowly escaped with his life after stepping outside a building briefly on the 28th of last month, just before U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
On the 16th (local time), the British daily the Telegraph reported that Mojtaba was inside a building with his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the attack appeared to have occurred while he went out to the garden to do something.
An audio file of a closed-door meeting of Iran's leadership held on the 12th, obtained by the Telegraph, contains Majaher Hosseini, chief of protocol in Khamenei's office, briefing the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the situation during the airstrikes.
According to the file, Mojtaba went out to the garden outside the residence at about 9:32 a.m. on the 28th of last month, just minutes before the United States and Israel struck the Iranian leadership compound. As he was about to return to the building, an Israeli Blue Sparrow missile hit, and he reportedly escaped with only minor injuries.
In the audio file, Hosseini said, "It was God's will for Mojtaba to go out into the yard to do something and come back," adding, "At the moment he was outside and about to enter the building, a missile struck the building. His wife, Mrs. Hadad, died immediately."
On the day of the incident, the United States and Israel attacked the leadership compound that houses the Iranian president's office, the supreme leader's office, and the National Security Council. Hosseini said at least three missiles were launched in the attack, with one striking the location where Khamenei was, and another hitting Mojtaba Khamenei's living quarters and the home of his brother-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani.
In the airstrikes, Mojtaba's wife, as well as his son and brother-in-law, were killed, and the body of senior military commander Mohammad Shirazi was reportedly damaged to the point that identification was difficult. However, Khamenei's eldest son, Mostafa Khamenei, survived the attack with his wife and was reportedly rescued without major injuries.
Since being elevated as the new supreme leader, Mojtaba has not appeared in public, prompting speculation about health problems. U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 17th, "Many people are saying he was severely maimed, and there are claims he lost one leg," adding, "We haven't seen him at all." He added, "We're not even sure he is alive."