Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly ‘critical’ as Iran-Israel tensions escalate

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is said to be in a critical condition and undergoing treatment in the holy city of Qom.

According to a diplomatic memo cited by The Times, the 56-year-old is believed to be unconscious and suffering from a serious medical condition. The report suggests he is currently unable to participate in key decision-making.

This marks the first time details about the supreme leader’s location have surfaced. Qom is situated about 140 kilometres south of Tehran.

The document, reportedly based on intelligence shared by US and Israeli agencies with Gulf allies, indicates that his whereabouts had been known to intelligence agencies for some time but were not disclosed earlier.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, an official written statement by Khamenei extended condolences for a senior general of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), saying that “assassinations and crimes” against Iranian leadership will not halt the country’s course. 

Khamenei praised Majid Khademi, head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organisation, for decades of “silent efforts in the security, intelligence, and defence fields” of Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also accused Israel and the United States of turning to “terrorism and assassination” after “successive defeats”. Khademi was killed in Tehran on Monday in an airstrike claimed by Israel.

Khamenei extended condolences to Khademi’s family and comrades, as well as the other commanders of the IRGC's Intelligence Organisation.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned a US and Israeli attack on the Sharif University of Technology in the capital Tehran, which severely damaged the building of its information technology center and a gas substation near the academic center's mosque.

Iran’s army said Sunday it has targeted petrochemical industries and petroleum products storage facilities in southern Israel, as well as US equipment depots, satellite communication units and troops in a base in Kuwait.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians.

Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East.