Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei narrowly escaped second lethal strike inside Tehran hospital: Report

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was pulled from the rubble of a Tehran medical center after joint US and Israeli strikes hit the facility where he was recovering from an earlier attack, according to a senior Iranian cleric.

Speaking to Qatari television network Al Araby, Mohsen Heydari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, disclosed that the 56-year-old leader was caught in a series of bombardments targeting medical infrastructure in the capital.

“Even after he had been wounded and taken to the hospital, three hospitals in Tehran were bombed,” Heydari said. “Mojtaba Khamenei was in the third hospital and was pulled from the rubble.”

The targeted strikes followed the initial February 28 operation on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Tehran compound, which killed the 86-year-old supreme leader and several senior figures. Following his rescue from the hospital site, the younger Khamenei vanished into an undisclosed location and has not made a public appearance or broadcast audio since the conflict intensified.

Heydari also detailed the clandestine proceedings that led to Mojtaba Khamenei's succession on March 8. The Assembly of Experts — the constitutional body tasked with choosing the supreme leader — came under fire itself when its Qom Secretariat was bombed, killing eight people and destroying official recommendations.

To proceed under heavy bombardment, assembly members gathered in a undisclosed location. Each member wrote their vote on paper after receiving reports confirming Khamenei’s physical status and readiness to assume office.

“We obtained information that Mojtaba Khamenei was healthy and able to lead, and we determined that he met the requirements of religious qualification, justice and competence to manage the country,” Heydari said. Khamenei secured 50 of 59 votes, while eight went to Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and one member abstained.

Heydari added that Khamenei was unaware of his appointment until it broadcast on Iranian state television, noting that he was “legally and religiously” obligated to accept the post.

Conflicting accounts persist regarding Khamenei's physical condition. US intelligence assessments previously indicated severe injuries from the initial strikes, a sentiment echoed by US President Donald Trump, who stated last month that Khamenei was "very seriously wounded" on the left side of his body.

Conversely, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed during an interview in New York this week that he met with Khamenei for seven hours and described him as "completely" healthy.