Tehran mayor reveals Khamenei’s wife killed in US-Israeli strike

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since assuming power in March 2026, more than five months after the February 28 US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The prolonged absence has fueled intensifying speculation about the extent of his injuries and deepened factional rifts within Iran's political establishment over the direction of the war.

A Leader Unseen

Khamenei was wounded in the same strike that killed his father, though the full extent of his injuries remains unclear. According to Reuters, citing sources within the supreme leader's inner circle, Mojtaba's face was disfigured and he suffered a wound to one or both legs. CNN has separately reported he sustained a fractured foot and minor facial injuries. In July, US President Donald Trump claimed in a Fox News interview that Khamenei was "close to death."eurasiareview+1

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani offered new details on August 12, telling Iran's Student News Network that a missile "directly hit the upper floor of the building" as Khamenei and his wife were preparing to depart. Zakani said Khamenei's wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel, was killed in the strike.israelnationalnews

Iranian state media released a rare, undated video on Sunday showing Khamenei speaking with a group of men, though parts of his face remained obscured. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief, told PBS that Khamenei's absence was "solely for security reasons," adding: "Our enemies are criminals and do not obey the law." Naqdi declined to say whether he had personally seen Khamenei.modernghana+2

Factional Tensions Intensify

President Masoud Pezeshkian told state television on August 10 that he held a meeting with Khamenei lasting "seven or eight hours," describing it as "a very good meeting" focused on unity and worsening living standards. Days earlier, Pezeshkian had said he found it "very difficult" to reach the supreme leader, deepening uncertainty about Khamenei's accessibility.scmp+1

The leadership vacuum has emboldened competing factions. Hardliners have called for Pezeshkian's resignation over his support for a peace deal with the United States, while ultra-conservative cleric Mohammad Bagher Kharazi publicly called the president "trash" and threatened to "besiege all the ministries." Pragmatists, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, argue negotiations are the only path to sanctions relief.straitstimes

Military Consolidation

In a signal of hardline consolidation, a statement attributed to Khamenei was read on state television on August 9 announcing the appointment of veteran IRGC figure Mohsen Rezaei as head of the Supreme National Security Council. Naqdi said the new military team marks a pivot to an "offensive" doctrine. "Whenever the conditions are favourable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory," he told state television.straitstimes

Ali Vaez, deputy programme director at the International Crisis Group, offered a cautionary assessment: "There's clearly greater cohesion around the strategy, but that shouldn't be mistaken for confidence that it will ultimately succeed."straitstimes