Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is unconscious and receiving medical treatment in the holy city of Qom in a condition so severe that he is unable to participate in any decision-making, according to a diplomatic memo based on American and Israeli intelligence shared with Gulf allies.
The memo, cited by The Times, discloses for the first time the location of Khamenei — son of longtime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in air strikes earlier in the conflict. Qom, situated 87 miles south of Tehran, is among the most sacred cities in Shia Islam.
“Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision making by the regime,” the memo states.
The assessment raises questions about who is directing Iran’s response to the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign at one of the most critical junctures of the war.
(information from The Times)