Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly injured in Feb. 28 strike that killed his father; Iran denies or confirms.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, is reported to have sustained minor injuries, including a fractured foot and facial lacerations, during the opening of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury,” a joint Israeli-U.S. airstrike on February 28, 2026, which killed his father, former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and over 40 senior Iranian officials. Iranian state media referred to him as a “wounded veteran,” while Israeli sources cited minor leg wounds as a possible reason for his absence from public view. A formal allegiance ceremony featured a cardboard cutout of him. Despite conflicting claims— including a denial from the son of Iran’s president that he is “safe and sound”—no official confirmation has been issued, and the reports remain unverified.