Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently governing from an undisclosed hideout while struggling to recover from catastrophic injuries sustained in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike, according to an extensive report by The New York Times. The report, which draws on interviews with six senior Iranian officials, Revolutionary Guard members, and individuals close to the leadership, suggests that the younger Khamenei is physically incapacitated and increasingly dependent on a circle of hard-line military generals who have effectively seized control of the state’s decision-making apparatus.
According to the The New York Times, the medical reality for the man selected to lead the Islamic Republic is dire. Since the February 28 bombing of his father’s compound, an attack that reportedly killed his father, wife, and son, Mojtaba Khamenei has remained in deep hiding. He is said to be surrounded by a dedicated team of medical staff, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is a heart surgeon.
The airstrikes reportedly left him with severe burns to his face and lips, making it nearly impossible for him to speak or record public video addresses. The report further says that the leader has undergone three surgeries on one leg and is awaiting a prosthetic, while also undergoing rehabilitation for a hand injury.
While sources told the The New York Times that Khamenei remains mentally sharp, his physical isolation is absolute. Fearing that Israeli intelligence might trace their movements to his location, senior commanders and government officials reportedly avoid visiting him in person.
Communication is reportedly conducted through a secretive human chain, where handwritten, sealed envelopes are ferried by couriers on motorcycles and cars via back roads to reach his hideout. This physical distance has resulted in a significant shift in power, with the Supreme Leader reportedly delegating primary authority to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
This transition marks what the report describes as the rise of a "General’s Republic," where the traditional influence of the clerical class is waning in favor of an entrenched military elite. The investigation highlights that Mojtaba’s reliance on the military is rooted in his personal history as a teenage volunteer in the "Habib Battalion" during the Iran-Iraq War. His former peers from that unit now occupy the highest rungs of Iranian power, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and IRGC Commander in Chief Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, as reported by NYT. These figures now operate as the dominant force in Tehran, reportedly viewing the new Supreme Leader more as a peer than a superior.
According to the report, the consequences of this military-dominated structure are already visible on the global stage. While the elected president and foreign minister have attempted to prioritize economic recovery, NYT states that the generals have repeatedly sidelined them. This was evidenced recently in Islamabad when the military faction reportedly "pulled the plug" on high-level negotiations with the United States, despite the USD 300 billion economic loss the country has suffered. The generals successfully argued that continued American blockades made diplomacy futile, overrunning more moderate calls for negotiation.
Ultimately, The New York Times report says that while Mojtaba Khamenei holds the title of Supreme Leader, he is currently "subservient" to the Revolutionary Guards who ensured his succession.
The report alleges that, as Mojtaba awaits plastic surgery and the restoration of his speech, the governance of Iran has moved from the hands of a singular religious figure into a collective military leadership. For now, the "triangle of power" led by veteran generals continues to dictate the survival strategy of the Islamic Republic, managing the state’s affairs while the new leader remains a wounded figure in the shadows.