Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei sustained severe burns and is awaiting a prosthetic leg after being badly injured in the February 28 strike that began the war between the country, the U.S. and Israel, according to a new report.
Citing four Iranian officials familiar with the matter, The New York Times detailed that Khamenei has not been seen or heard in public because he "does not want to appear vulnerable or sound weak."
The outlet went on to say that Khamenei's face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak. He has had three surgeries on his leg and is waiting for a prosthetic. He will also need plastic surgery for his face.
Khamenei is largely isolated, with officials fearing visiting him over the chances that they will be targeted and killed by Israel. He receives handwritten measures delivered via a human chain and delivers them back in the same way.
However, another report claims that officials in Israel and the U.S. believe Khamenei is not actually ruling Iran, with control being exerted by the revolutionary guard (IRGC).
Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Iran expert Nati Tuvian said Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC commander appointed after the assassination of Mohammad Pakpour at the beginning of the war, as well as other leaders, are not "figures who are willing to mace concessions or be perceived as conceding."
"A week after the signing of the nuclear agreement with the Obama administration, the IRGC staged a show of force and launched ballistic missiles during a drill, writing on them in Hebrew that Israel should disappear from the face of the earth," he recalled.
President Donald Trump appeared to give a similar view about the role the revolutionary guard is playing as negotiations continue to be stalled.
In a social media post on Thursday he said Iranian officials are "having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is."
"They just don't know! The infighting is between the "Hardliners," who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the 'Moderates,' who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is 'Sealed up Tight,' until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!" he added in a social media publication on Thursday.
