Mojtaba Khamenei Escaped Death By Seconds, Stepped Outside For A Walk In Garden: Report

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 00:56 IST

Mojtaba had gone outside “to do something” moments before the US-Israeli strike hit his residence and killed his father, wife, son and brother-in-law, according to a leaked audio.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei narrowly survived a US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father, wife, son, and brother-in-law, as he had stepped outside for a walk in his garden just seconds before his house was struck by missiles, according to a leaked audio.

As per the audio obtained by The Telegraph, Mojtaba Khamenei was targeted in the same attack that killed his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other members of the Iranian leadership. Mojtaba had gone outside “to do something" moments before Israeli missiles hit his residence on February 28.

An address delivered by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Ali Khamenei’s office, to senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders provided a detailed account of what happened inside the supreme leader’s compound on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

‘Went Out In The Yard’

Hosseini revealed that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered an injury to his leg in the strikes, while his wife and son were killed instantly and his brother-in-law was decapitated. The body of Mohammad Shirazi, chief of Khamenei’s military bureau, was also “blown to pieces," as per the report.

Mojtaba Khamenei lived in the same compound as his father in Tehran. It also housed a religious hall where the former supreme leader would give speeches, as well as the homes of Khamenei’s other children. Ali Khamenei was with other senior security officials when the US-Israeli attacks killed him.

“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return. He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Haddad, was martyred instantly," said Hosseini in the recording obtained by The Telegraph.

The Iranian official said the strikes were aimed at eliminating the entire Khamenei family and that the US and Israel had considered several locations within the office complex to strike, including the supreme leader’s office.

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Khamenei’s Absence Fuels Speculation

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the start of the war, and his only message to the people was read out by the Iranian state television, in which he promised revenge for the blood of “martyrs." His absence has stirred speculation that he was more badly harmed than Iran was willing to admit.

Speaking to reporters in the White House on Monday, US President Donald Trump said it was unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei was still alive, given reports he had been injured in an air strike. “We don’t know … if he’s dead or not. I will say that nobody has seen him, which is unusual," he said.

“A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg … and he’s been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead," Trump added.

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