Mojtaba Khamenei narrowly escaped Tehran strike as missiles hit compound, leaked audio reveals

Leaked audio reveals Mojtaba Khamenei stepped outside moments before missiles hit, escaping death as his wife was killed
PUBLISHED MAR 17, 2026
Despite claims of minor injury, Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence has fueled death rumors, with President Donald Trump questioning Iran’s account of his health (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
Despite claims of minor injury, Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence has fueled death rumors, with President Donald Trump questioning Iran’s account of his health (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

WASHINGTON, DC: The newly appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly escaped the Israeli strike that killed his father by a matter of seconds after stepping into a garden just moments before the compound was hit.

Leaked audio from a meeting details how the younger Khamenei survived the February 28 blast with only minor injuries, while his father and dozens of senior officials were killed.

A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Leaked audio details Mojtaba Khamenei’s narrow escape

According to a report by The Telegraph, citing leaked audio from a March 12 meeting, Mojtaba Khamenei was with his father in the Tehran compound when he momentarily stepped outside "to do something."

This brief outing likely saved his life, as Israel’s space-faring Blue Sparrow ballistic missiles struck the residence almost immediately after he reached the yard.

Mazaher Hosseini, the head of protocol for the Supreme Leader’s office, informed Iranian officials that "God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return."

Hosseini noted that "he was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Ms Haddad, was martyred instantly."

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026 (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Leaked recordings expose brutal impact of Tehran strike

The leaked recordings provide an account of the aftermath, describing a scene of total destruction in which identification of the deceased was nearly impossible.

Hosseini revealed that Iran’s military chief, Mohammad Shirazi, was "blown to pieces, they could find nothing from him, and at the end they found a few kilos of flesh and identified it as his body."

Describing the fate of the Supreme Leader’s son-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani, Hosseini stated that "the missile was so powerful that it went downstairs where Mr Misbah was, it went to Mr Misbah’s room. The missiles were struck in a way” that killed him immediately.

President Donald Trump speaks during a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a board meeting of the John F Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mystery deepens over Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition

Despite official claims that the new leader suffered only "a minor injury to his leg," his complete absence from the public eye since the start of the war has fueled speculation about his death.

The lack of visual evidence has led officials, including President Trump, to question the Iranian state’s narrative regarding Mojtaba’s health.

"A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg, one leg, and he’s been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead," Trump told reporters on March 16.

As rumors of his death or severe impairment persist, President Trump added that US officials simply do not know "if he’s dead or not. Nobody’s seen him, which is unusual."

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