Overview
- The New York Times, as summarized Friday by Il Post, reported Mojtaba Khamenei is mentally lucid but badly hurt, with three surgeries on a leg, a pending prosthesis, hand surgery, and facial burns that make speaking hard.
- He has not appeared in public since taking over after his father’s killing and now sends handwritten notes that pass through multiple couriers to reduce the risk of being tracked.
- Sources say he meets almost only with medical staff while top officials avoid direct contact to prevent revealing his location to Israel or the United States.
- With the leader constrained, IRGC commanders have tightened control and a small council-style group is steering daily policy, with Ahmad Vahidi, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cited as key figures.
- An Iranian lawmaker has claimed his wounds were superficial, a statement that clashes with international reporting and adds to the secrecy that complicates diplomacy and blurs who has the final say.