Mojtaba Khamenei
Despite injury reports placing him in a coma, new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatens revenge and Hormuz blockade in first statement. ​ Firstpost / Youtube

Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a defiant vow on state television on Thursday evening to avenge the deaths of Iranians killed in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, even as unverified reports swirl that he lies in a coma, having lost at least one leg in airstrikes.

The 56-year-old cleric's message, read aloud by a presenter rather than delivered in person, came on 12 March 2026, just days after his elevation following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on 28 February.

The conflict erupted a fortnight ago when US and Israeli forces launched massive strikes on Iranian targets, killing the elder Khamenei in his Tehran compound and sparking a brutal tit-for-tat that has engulfed the Gulf. Mojtaba, long rumoured as a successor, was swiftly named leader by the Assembly of Experts in early March amid chaos, with no public sighting of him since. Now, whispers from Tehran sources paint a grim picture of his condition, though Iranian officials dismiss them outright.

Mojtaba Khamenei's Vengeful Address Ignites Fears

The statement, translated by BBC Persian, pulled no punches. 'I emphasise that we will demand compensation from the enemy. If they refuse, we will seize their funds as we deem appropriate. If that proves impossible, we will destroy an equivalent amount of their property,' it declared, referring squarely to the US. Khamenei urged keeping the 'lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz' in play, a chokepoint for global oil where US forces have already sunk Iranian mine-layers. He extended olive branches to neighbours, preaching 'friendship' but warning them to shutter American bases, which Iran promises to keep hitting.​

Personal grief laced the words. Addressing families bereaved by strikes – including one on a Minab school that Iranian officials say killed 175, mostly children – he shared his own losses: not just his father, but his 'beloved and devoted wife,' a selfless sister, her young child, and another brother-in-law. 'This stems from my shared experience with them,' he said, a rare glimpse of vulnerability from the hardliner. Yet the tone hardened fast: Iran would not hesitate to avenge 'the blood of Iranians,' no matter the cost.​

Sceptics might wonder if this firebrand rhetoric truly comes from a man allegedly oblivious to his own coronation. Some reports claim he's unaware of the war's toll, his family's deaths, or even his title, smuggled out via dissidents during blackouts. Tehran insiders told The Sun he's in intensive care at Sina University Hospital, a historic quarter site now ringed by security, tended by top surgeons after leg amputation and gut wounds. Iranian state media counters that he's merely 'lightly injured' and safe. No footage, no photos – just words on a screen. Take it with a pinch of salt; independent verification is scant amid the fog of war.

Escalation Grips Gulf as Khamenei's Shadow Looms

Iran's retaliation has turned vicious. Drones hammered fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport and a Bahrain desalination plant, killing border guards and igniting fires – though Kuwaiti crews doused them quickly. Bahrain fumed at the 'random' civilian hits, while Tehran blamed US bases there for prior strikes. The UAE claims to have intercepted 92% of 270 missiles, yet debris rains down. Khamenei's vow feels like fuel on the flames, especially with Hormuz mines threatening oil routes and tankers already ablaze.

Official Iranian voices stay mum on details, sticking to defiance. 'Lightly injured but safe,' one outlet parroted, without proof. The Assembly of Experts hailed his 'decisive vote' appointment, urging unity – but mockery floods social media, dubbing it a dynasty reborn. Trump, from the White House, branded young Khamenei a 'lightweight' unfit for peace.

As mines bob in Hormuz and drones buzz Gulf skies, this ghost leader's words hang heavy. Will compensation demands spark wider ruin, or is it a bluff from a bedside scribe? The Strait stays tense, the war grinds on.

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