According to the leaked audio of Mazaher Hosseini, the former head of protocol in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been with family inside the leadership compound on the morning of February 28 when the US–Israeli strike began.
Just before powerful Blue Sparrow ballistic missiles hit the complex around 9 am (local time), he stepped outside saying he was going out “to do something.” Moments later, the missiles struck, devastating the bunker‑like residence where senior officials were gathered.
Because he had left the building seconds earlier, he narrowly avoided being killed, though his wife and son were among those who died in the attack. However, Mojtaba only had “a minor injury to his leg”, Hosseini stated.
“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return,” Hosseini stated, in a recording released to Telegraph, adding, “He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile”, further noting Mojtaba’s wife Zahra Haddad‑Adel was killed instantly.
The strikes seemed aimed at eliminating the entire Khamenei family, Hosseini said.
Following the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in the opening strikes of the conflict, Tehran declared that his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, would succeed him. Last week, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated that the new leader was reportedly injured in the attack and has not made any public appearances.
Trump on Mojtaba’s existence, deal with Iran
Meanwhile, on Monday, US President Donald Trump remarked that it remains uncertain whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, citing reports of his injuries in the air strike.
“We don’t know … if he’s dead or not. I will say that nobody has seen him, which is unusual,” he stated during an event at the White House, as per Reuters.
Trump mentioned, “A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg … and he’s been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead.”
Trump stated that he is not prepared to negotiate an end to the war with Iran, even as Israel carried out a fresh round of strikes on Sunday and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed to target the Israeli leader.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he believes Tehran may be willing to negotiate, but Washington will continue pressing for more favorable terms. He also suggested that US forces might strike Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island again, remarking it could be “just for fun.”
More than two weeks into the US-Israeli conflict against Iran, tensions remain high, with neither side softening its rhetoric despite growing casualties and economic fallout from soaring oil prices, driven by the near-shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
