The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently unconscious and not able to run the country, according to The Times, and has been sidelined since being appointed by the Assembly of Experts on March 8, 2026.
The news has sent shock waves through the region just weeks after Mojtaba took over the reins following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- Location: He is believed to be kept under strict control at the medical facility in Qom.
- Condition: “Mojtaba Khamenei is in a state of severe medical condition and has not been involved at all in any high-level decision making and leadership of the regime at all.”
- Cause: The regime has played it cool but the first batch of strikes on February 28, 2026, took the life of his father and others of his family.
Mojtaba Injured
March 8, 2026, Assembly of Experts installs Mojtaba Khamenei as the Supreme Leader. The absence of the Supreme Leader is not the end of the story and there are rumours about a shadow government led by the IRGC. April 7, 2026, reports are coming out that Mojtaba is unconscious and hospitalized in Qom.
Iran’s government is in a state of uncertainty over who is in charge of the country. It is believed that a Council of Interim Leadership, which is made up of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and the top officials with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are still in charge of the country and the government does not really have the power at hand.
There is potential for internal disorder as the hardline forces of the military and the clergy can compete for power. Iran is watching Tehran with bated breath. Washington officials who aren't saying anything about the “unconscious” status, but they have said that there is no sign of “proof of life” from Iranian leadership.
