Speculation is growing over the whereabouts of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, amid claims from Kuwaiti media that he was secretly flown to Moscow for emergency leg surgery after being severely wounded in an airstrike. Reports suggest the operation was personally offered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and carried out at a presidential residence. The claims remain unconfirmed, though Iranian officials have acknowledged that Khamenei is injured.

Conflicting accounts indicate that he may be in a coma and possibly unaware of both the ongoing war and his succession following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28. Some sources allege he suffered catastrophic injuries, while others, including the United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have stated he is wounded and likely disfigured. Iranian commanders reportedly have not received direct orders from him.

Khamenei issued his first public statement through a televised message read by a news anchor, vowing retaliation against the United States and Israel and calling for the closure of American military bases in the region. He also pledged compensation for Iranians affected by the conflict and signaled continued support from allied armed groups in Iraq and Yemen. Despite his absence from public view, regional commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are believed to be overseeing the country’s military operations.