New supreme leader of Iran needs plastic surgery to repair severely burned face

Cardboard cutout of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named his successor in the weeks after his father was killed in missile strikes by Israel on the first day of the war. However, he's not been seen in public once in the nearly six weeks since, and that's because of the severe injuries he suffered in the same attacks that took out his father. 

In fact, Khamenei was in such bad shape, he was unable to show up in person for his own succession rally, where a crude cardboard cutout of the new supreme leader was used instead. According to The New York Times, the younger Khamenei "was gravely injured" in the missile strikes, and has avoided appearing in public because he "does not want to appear vulnerable or sound weak," according to several Iranian officials who spoke with New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi. 

“His face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak [and] he will need plastic surgery,” Fassihi reported. She said during an appearance Thursday evening on CNN that the facial injuries have made it difficult for him to speak.

In addition, she said, one of his legs has undergone three surgeries, and there are indications it may have been amputated. According to her sources, the beleaguered supreme leader is waiting for a prosthetic limb. 

Fassihi said Khamenei is surrounded by a medical team at all times in what she described as a "hideout." Even the top Iranian officials who have survived the U.S.-Israel bombardments or have been elevated to succeed those who have been killed, are unable to have access to Khamenei. Watch the full interview with Fassihi below.