Iran supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'needs plastic surgery' after airstrike burns

Iran's new supreme leader has not been seen in public since the outbreak of war with the US, with reports emerging that his face was so severely burnt in an airstrike that he requires plastic surgery. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has neither been spotted nor released any audio or video message since assuming power. According to reports, he sustained serious injuries in an airstrike on 28 February. The US and Iran have been engaged in conflict since late February, after joint US-Israeli forces launched strikes on several key Iranian targets. Iran hit back by attacking sites across the region and shutting the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route. The New York Times reported that while Khamenei was gravely wounded, he remains mentally sharp and engaged, according to four senior Iranian officials with knowledge of his condition. Khamenei, 56, has undergone multiple surgeries in a bid to recover from the strike, which also claimed the life of his father and the country's former leader, Ali Khamenei. One of his legs has been operated on three times and he is awaiting a prosthetic limb. He has also had surgery on one hand and is gradually regaining movement. "His face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak [and] he will need plastic surgery," the Times reported. "Senior government officials do not visit him, fearing that Israel may trace them to him and kill him. "Messages to him are handwritten, sealed in envelopes and relayed via a human chain from one trusted courier to the next, who travel on highways and back roads, in cars and on motorcycles until they reach his hide-out. His guidance on issues snakes back the same way." Officials revealed that his face and lips have suffered severe burns, making speech difficult. They indicated that plastic surgery will eventually be necessary. President Masoud Pezeshkian, himself a heart surgeon, alongside the health minister, have both been engaged in his treatment. It's understood he maintains minimal direct contact with Iranian leadership. Senior commanders and government officials refrain from visiting Khamenei due to fears that Israel could track them to his location and assassinate him, the Times reported. Communications to Khamenei are handwritten, placed in sealed envelopes and passed along via a human chain through trusted couriers. These messengers are believed to traverse motorways and minor routes, travelling by car and motorcycle until reaching his hideaway. His responses return through the same chain. Khamenei has transferred decision-making authority to his generals. Reformist groups and ultra-hardliners remain engaged in political discourse. Experts suggest that Khamenei's strong bonds with the generals, forged when he volunteered to serve in the Iran-Iraq conflict as a youth, have established them as the predominant power.