Leaked audio details how Mojtaba Khamenei escaped Israel-US strike: Report

‘He stepped out of the compound, and that’s how he survived.’ A leaked audio obtained by The Telegraph (UK) reveals how Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, escaped death from the strike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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According to the audio, Mojtaba survived the US-Israeli strike that killed his father and other members of his family, as he stepped outside the compound for some work minutes before the blast.

The purported audio, which The Telegraph said featured Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol in Ali Khamenei’s office, was recorded during a March 12 private meeting in Tehran.

How did Mojtaba escape death?

A 9.32 am strike hit the Tehran compound where Iran’s leadership was gathered, a meticulously timed attack reportedly intended to eliminate key figures in the regime, including members of the Khamenei family. Moments before the attack, Mojtaba Khamenei had stepped out into the garden and was heading back upstairs when the building was hit.

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The attack claimed the lives of his wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel, and their son; however, he reportedly escaped with only a minor leg injury. "God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return," Mazaher Hosseini was heard saying in the meeting.

Details of the attack

The leaked audio revealed that three missiles were reportedly fired at the compound, with one striking the area where Ali Khamenei had been and another hitting the upper-floor residence of Mojtaba Khamenei, the report said. The report said another missile struck the residence of Mojtaba’s brother-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani, inside the compound.

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The Iranian official reportedly said the powerful strike that hit multiple parts of the office complex killed Iran’s military chief, Ali Khamenei's son-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani, and several members of the Khamenei family. The audio also revealed other gruesome details about the strike, with Hosseini describing the destruction caused by the missile.

‘Nobody has seen him’

The details of the audio come a day after US President Donald Trump again raised doubts on the survival of Mojtaba and said, “Nobody has seen him, which is unusual.”

Mojtaba has not made any public appearance since taking office. Khamenei’s first comments after being chosen as the Supreme Leader were read out by a television presenter.