In recording, Iranian official says Mojtaba narrowly survived Israeli strike

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, narrowly survived an Israeli airstrike on February 28, after stepping outside his residence moments before missiles hit the compound, according to leaked audio obtained by The Telegraph.

The recording allegedly features remarks by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol in the office of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, delivered to senior clerics and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at a March 12 meeting in Tehran.

According to Hosseini, Mojtaba had stepped into the compound’s yard shortly before Israel struck the residence at 9:32 a.m. local time. The February 28 strike killed several senior officials, including Ali Khamenei and other members of Iran’s leadership.

“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return,” Hosseini says in the recording, speaking in Farsi. “He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile.”

According to Hosseini, Mojtaba Khamenei sustained only “a minor injury to his leg” in the strike.

Hosseini adds that Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, son, and brother-in-law were killed in the strike.

Mostafa Khamenei, another son of Ali Khamenei, was also “nearby” at the time of the strike, according to the recording, but escaped with his wife, unharmed.