Iran MP says Khamenei Jr survived two attacks
An Iranian lawmaker said Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic Republic, has survived two attacks in recent days.
Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi, a member of parliament representing Jahrom, said Mojtaba was present during an attack on the Supreme Leader’s residence alongside Ali Khamenei but escaped what he described as an “assassination attempt,” according to the state news agency IRNA.
Another attack, Rezaei Kouchi said, targeted a hospital where the “third leader of the Islamic Republic” was present, adding that the United States and Israel failed to achieve their objective. He did not identify the hospital or provide details about the location of the alleged strike.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran’s new leader may have been wounded during the first day of US and Israeli attacks.
“I think he probably is. I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade.
Mojtaba Khamenei released his first message on Thursday, but no images or recordings of him have been published since his appointment nearly a week ago, fueling speculation about his condition.
The warning came from the intelligence organization of the Revolutionary Guards, which said street unrest would be treated as a precursor to military action. “Those we call the ‘Neo-ISIS elements’ should know that a blow even harsher than that of January 8 awaits them,” the statement said.
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a two-day crackdown on nationwide protests on January 8–9. Iran International confirmed the death toll after examining obtained classified documents along with field reports and accounts from medical staff, witnesses, and victims’ families.
In its statement, the Guards accused foreign adversaries of trying to stir unrest inside Iran after failing to achieve their goals on the battlefield. It said enemies were now attempting to “spread fear and provoke street protests.”
The warning came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign was intended in part to create conditions that could allow Iranians to protest against the Islamic Republic.
“We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets,” Netanyahu said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said Israeli strikes were delivering “crushing blows” to the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij, the paramilitary force often deployed against protesters, but added that any effort to bring down the Islamic Republic would ultimately depend on action from within Iran.
