Iran says Khamenei suffered only minor injuries in airstrikes

Tuesday 19 May 2026 - 08:43

By: Dakir Madiha

Iran says Khamenei suffered only minor injuries in airstrikes

Iranian officials have publicly downplayed the injuries suffered by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during the February 28 airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel, insisting his wounds were minor despite months of international reports describing him as seriously injured and absent from public life.

Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations at Iran’s Health Ministry, said Monday that Khamenei’s injuries were superficial and required only limited medical treatment. According to his account, doctors applied stitches to several wounds, including an injury to Khamenei’s leg, but no lasting damage or severe disfigurement occurred. Kermanpour said operating facilities had been prepared immediately after the attack as a precaution, though he insisted “nothing serious happened” to the country’s leader.

The strikes targeted Tehran’s Pasteur district on February 28 and killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several members of his family. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was later appointed Supreme Leader by Iran’s Assembly of Experts on March 9. Since then, he has not appeared publicly and has communicated only through written statements read on state television by other officials.

Iranian authorities previously acknowledged that Khamenei had suffered injuries during the attack. Earlier this month, senior official Mazaher Hosseini said the blast wave caused injuries to Khamenei’s knee, back, and the area behind one ear after he was thrown to the ground. Hosseini nevertheless claimed the leader had fully recovered.

The official Iranian narrative sharply conflicts with reports published internationally over recent months. Multiple reports citing Iranian officials and Western intelligence assessments claimed Khamenei underwent several surgeries on one leg, suffered serious burns to his face and lips, and experienced injuries affecting his speech and mobility. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in March that Khamenei was “probably disfigured,” while other reports suggested he required a prosthetic leg and extensive rehabilitation.

The absence of any public appearance or verified video recordings has continued to fuel speculation about Khamenei’s condition. Iranian authorities have offered no visual evidence supporting claims of his recovery, leaving major questions unresolved nearly three months after the strikes that reshaped Iran’s leadership structure.