March 17, 2026 | 07:21 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was secretly evacuated to the Russian capital, Moscow, for medical treatment after being injured in the US-backed Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. This was revealed by a senior Iranian source quoted by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida and reported by the Kyiv Post on Monday.
The source said Khamenei was injured on February 28 – the first day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran – and required hospitalization and ongoing medical care. He has not appeared in public since the fighting began.
Although Iranian state media initially sought to project an image of stability, diplomatic leaks suggest the new leader was caught in the crossfire of the initial attack.
Iran's ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, told The Guardian that Khamenei was injured in the February 28 attack that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"I have heard that he was injured in his legs, hand and arm… I think he is in the hospital because he is injured," the ambassador said.
According to CNN sources, Mojtaba Khamenei suffered a broken leg, as well as bruising near his left eye and a small cut on his face.
Tehran did not deny that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured, but said that despite the injuries, Khamenei's condition was considered stable.
"He is wounded, but he is doing well. I don’t know when he will deliver his first speech," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in an interview with Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera on March 12.
Mojtaba Khamenei's physical condition may explain why he has not made any public appearances since taking office.
His first official statement as supreme leader was released only as a written text read by a news anchor, without accompanying audio or video.
According to Al Jarida, Khamenei was secretly flown from Tehran to Moscow on a Russian military plane.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally proposed sending him to Russia for treatment during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the report said. The Kremlin confirmed that the two leaders spoke on March 10.
Upon arrival in Moscow, Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly underwent surgery and is now receiving treatment at a secure medical facility located on the grounds of one of Putin's presidential residences.
The United States has openly questioned Khamenei's condition. In a recent interview, US President Donald Trump said he believed the Iranian leader was "injured," adding that he "may still be alive in some form."
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that American intelligence believes the leader is "wounded and likely disfigured."
Read: US Offers $10 Million Reward for Info on Mojtaba Khamenei
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