Iran's Supreme Leader 'needs prosthetic leg and 'plastic surgery' as update on condition revealed following airstrike
The Ayatollah is said to have been severely disfigured and continues to be treated by doctors at his bedside
Iran's Supreme Leader needs a "prosthetic leg and "plastic surgery" after he was so badly disfigured, according to a new report on his condition.
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Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously injured in a US airstrike on February 28, which killed his father and the country's former ruler, Ali Khamenei.
The new Ayatollah Mojtaba has not been seen in public since the strike, and speculation has grown on whether he made it out of the attack alive.
But reports have emerged in recent weeks that the new leader did survive and was treated for serious leg wounds.
A new update reported by the New York Times on Friday said that his leg was operated on three times, with him set to receive a prosthetic.
The outlet also claims that the dictator had surgery on one hand, which is now reportedly slowly regaining function.
The strike also "severely burned" his face and lips, which has caused difficulty speaking and will require plastic surgery, the report claims.
He is said to have regained his mental capacity, but has not delivered any recorded messages in an attempt to avoid appearing "vulnerable or sound weak in his first public address".
Multiple written statements have been released to the Iranian public, and messages sent to him are said to be handwritten, sealed in envelopes and relayed via a human chain from one trusted courier to the next.
Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, previously trained as a heart surgeon and is believed to be involved in his care, as is the health minister.
In the aftermath of the strike, the Ayatollah reportedly underwent leg surgery in Moscow after "Vladimir Putin offered to help".
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has confirmed that Iran's Supreme Leader is "alive" but has been "disfigured".
It comes after President Trump claimed he "would never use nuclear weapon" on Iran, claiming the war "will be over soon".
Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, the president said: "I think that there's nothing worse than a nuclear weapon that takes out one of your cities or two of your cities or three.
"I think there's nothing worse than a nuclear weapon that's going to destroy the Middle East, including Israel. I think there's nothing worse than Europe being under attack by people that have missiles now that reach Europe."
The conflict and ensuing stand-off between the US and Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending energy prices soaring and damaging the global economy.
The ongoing stalemate continues after three tankers were fired at amid the ongoing standoff between Trump and Tehran.
Amid the heightened tensions, President Trump also demanded the US Navy "shoot and kill" any Iranian boats found laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.