OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:23 AM – Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is reportedly incapacitated and receiving treatment in the country’s holy city of Qom, according to UK outlet The Times, citing a diplomatic memorandum.
A memo understood to be shared with Gulf country allies based on American and Israeli intelligence signaled that Khamenei, son of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is unconscious due to his “severe” medical condition, according to the outlet on Monday night.
The intelligence also revealed that the new leader is allegedly located in Qom, the capital of Qom County and its Central District, 87 miles south of Tehran, which is revered in Shia Islam as sacred.
“Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision making by the regime,” it read, according to The Times.
The 56-year-old successor to the Islamic regime was said to have sustained a “minor” injury to his leg in the strike that killed his father, mother, wife, and son, the regime divulged. It has not explained his weeks-long absence, however.
It’s unclear if his purportedly grave condition is due to the initial strike on February 28th, the first day of Operation Epic Fury, or if he fell victim to another injury or ailment in the following weeks.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he believed Khamenei to be “wounded and likely disfigured” after he issued a “weak” written statement despite having access to “plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders.”
“His father — dead. He’s scared. He’s injured. He’s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know,” Hegseth remarked on March 13th.
President Donald Trump stated Khamenei’s leadership would need U.S. approval. He has claimed in recent weeks to have been in talks with Iran’s president while negotiating terms for the Strait of Hormuz or a potential ceasefire — not Khamenei.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
