Mojtaba Khamenei ‘Pulled From Rubble’ After Tehran Hospital Bombing, Cleric Claims

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly pulled from the rubble of a Tehran hospital.

After the facility was struck during US and Israeli attacks, according to senior Iranian cleric Mohsen Heydari, as cited by the New York Post. Heydari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, made the claim in an interview with Qatar-based broadcaster Al Araby on Thursday. He said Khamenei had been wounded in earlier strikes and taken to a hospital, which was later hit along with two other medical facilities in Tehran.

According to Heydari, Khamenei was inside the third hospital when it was struck.

“Mojtaba Khamenei was in the third hospital and was pulled from the rubble,” Heydari said, according to the New York Post.

The claim has not been independently verified. The US, Israel and the Iranian government have not confirmed that Khamenei was inside the hospital when it was hit.

When were the hospitals struck?

Heydari did not specify when the hospital strikes took place. The New York Post reported that the three facilities were hit sometime after the initial attacks on February 28.

Those opening strikes killed Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, along with several senior officials, according to reports. Mojtaba Khamenei was subsequently reported to have been wounded.

Following the alleged hospital attack, Khamenei was reportedly moved to an undisclosed location. He has not made a public appearance or statement since.

How did Mojtaba Khamenei become supreme leader?

Heydari also provided an account of the Assembly of Experts vote that elevated Khamenei to Iran’s top leadership position on March 8, amid the ongoing conflict.

He claimed Khamenei himself was unaware that he had been selected until the decision was announced on Iranian state television.

The Assembly of Experts was also reportedly affected by the fighting. According to the New York Post, its secretariat in Qom was bombed, killing eight people and destroying documents related to the leadership selection process.

Heydari said members subsequently cast their votes on paper before moving to a secure room for the final decision. He claimed he was the first member to nominate Khamenei.

According to his account, members were told that Khamenei was healthy enough to assume the position and met the religious and leadership requirements. He reportedly received 50 of the 59 votes, while Ayatollah Alireza Arafi received eight and one member abstained.

What is known about Khamenei’s condition?

Khamenei’s health and whereabouts remain unclear, with conflicting accounts emerging from Iranian and US sources.

US intelligence assessments have reportedly indicated that Khamenei suffered serious facial injuries during the strikes. US President Donald Trump also said last month that he believed Khamenei was alive but badly wounded.

“I don’t think he’s dead,” Trump said in an interview with commentator Glenn Beck, while claiming the left side of Khamenei’s body had suffered severe injuries.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has offered a different account. In an interview with Fox News this week, he said Khamenei was “completely” healthy and claimed the two had met for around seven hours the previous month.

No independent confirmation

There is currently no independent confirmation of Heydari’s account that Khamenei was inside the hospital when it was bombed or was subsequently pulled from the rubble.

His account also differs from statements attributed to US intelligence and Iranian officials regarding Khamenei’s health. With his whereabouts undisclosed and no recent public appearance, significant uncertainty remains over his condition and the circumstances surrounding his reported injuries.