Mojtaba Khamenei Rescued From Rubble After US-Israeli Strikes

Joint United States and Israeli strikes targeted several facilities in Tehran, including three hospitals, resulting in the rescue of Mojtaba Khamenei from the rubble of the third medical center. These attacks followed an initial strike on February 28 that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other high-ranking officials.

Despite the ongoing conflict and a bombing at the Assembly of Experts Secretariat in Qom that killed eight people, the Assembly secretly elected Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on March 8. He reportedly received 50 of 59 votes, ascending to the position despite having no prior formal political role and facing warnings from the United States against his selection.

Conflicting reports persist regarding the leader's physical condition. U.S. intelligence suggests he was badly disfigured, and President Donald Trump stated that while he believes Khamenei is alive, he was very seriously wounded on the left side of his body. Conversely, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserts that the supreme leader is completely healthy, citing a seven-hour meeting between them last month.