The new Ayatollah is still wounded and hidden: He handed over control of foreign policy to the generals

The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, is recovering from serious injuries he received after the US-Israeli air strike that ended the life of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, to the point that he may need reconstructive surgery.

In addition, as revealed by the New York Times this Thursday, Mojtaba is physically weakened, practically isolated and increasingly dependent on hard-line military commanders to govern. The wife and son of the new Iranian boss also died in the bombing

.

Despite his condition, those close to the regime say that Khamenei remains lucid and continues to participate in key decisions, although surrounded by medical personnel and under the fear that revealing his location will make him a new target, which explains why he has not had a single public appearance since he was anointed as the country's new Supreme Leader.

Panic and headache in the regime The aforementioned newspaper reported that Khamenei's injuries include severe damage to a leg that has already undergone surgery

, in addition to serious facial burns that limit his ability to speak and that would require plastic surgery. The effort within the regime not to reveal their whereabouts is extreme: emissaries are handled with a series of handwritten messages that are carried in cars and motorcycles so as not to

leave a digital trace.

Born into the ruling elite, Mojtaba's life combines religious studies with the military. As a teenager, he joined a Revolutionary Guard brigade during the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s.

He later rose to the rank of Ayatollah and worked side by side with his father coordinating intelligence operations, although he never held a formal position in the Islamic regime.

Despite the fact that the Islamic revolution in Iran came to power rejecting the idea of dynastic succession and that Mojtaba, unlike his father, lacks the same religious authority, the generals who carried out the war against the United States were decisive in choosing the youngest of the Khamenei as the country's new religious leader - and heir -.