Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, narrowly survived a deadly airstrike that targeted his family and the top leaders 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 stepped outside for a walk in the garden of his father’s compound just minutes before Israeli Blue Sparrow ballistic missiles struck his residence on February 28. Due to his brief absence from the building, Mojtaba's life was spared, leaving him with only a minor leg injury.
The audio was recorded during an address by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Ali Khamenei’s office, to senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders on March 12.
Click here for live war updates 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 strike.
The body of Mohammad Shirazi, chief of Khamenei’s military bureau, was “blown to pieces,” according to Hosseini. According to him, the strike was aimed at wiping out the entire Khamenei family.
Mojtaba lived in the same compound as his father, which also housed a religious hall where Ali Khamenei delivered speeches and the residences of other children.
Hosseini explained that the missiles struck multiple locations simultaneously, with some aimed directly at the supreme leader’s quarters.
“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return. He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Ms Haddad, was martyred instantly,” Hosseini was heard saying in the audio.
His brother Mostafa Khamenei and his wife were nearby in another residence when it too was struck; dust and rubble partially shielded them, leaving them unharmed.
Apart from Ali Khamenei, the strike also killed senior officials including Mohammad Pakpour, IRGC chief and Iran’s defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh who were gathered for a meeting inside the compound.
Hosseini said that the attack on Mohammad Shirazi was intended to disrupt succession planning, as Shirazi was a crucial link between Iran’s military command and the supreme leader.
"The enemy knew that, while hitting the supreme leader, hit him too because they knew he would replace those who had been killed, and when new [commanders] were introduced, they could get a chance to [influence] the rioters and infiltrators and do something. He was blown to pieces – they could find nothing from him, and at the end they found a few kilos of flesh and identified it as his body, " Hosseini said.
The missiles also hit Mojtaba’s upper-floor residence, Misbah’s home and the residence of Mostafa and his wife.
The audio comes amid speculation over Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and capacity to lead. Earlier, several media reports claimed that Mojtaba is said to be in a coma after being critically wounded in an air strike.
An Iranian official told The Telegraph that military commanders had no information about his current condition.
“Mojtaba was selected, but it is against the will of the supreme leader and maybe against his own will too. We still have not heard anything from him.”
Mojtaba first came to public attention at 17 when he disappeared for a week in March 1985 while serving on the front line of the Iraq-Iran war.
IRGC commanders initially regarded him as inexperienced, though he survived the conflict.
None of Ali Khamenei’s other children have appeared publicly since the strikes and Mojtaba’s only communication came through a written message read on state television.