What went down at Khamenei's palace on Feb 28? Leaked audio offers first account - 'Mojtaba had to go out...'
Leaked audio of Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Khamenei’s office, reveals what went down on February 28 at Ali Khamenei's palace. He tells officials that three missiles struck the compound and blew everything to bits. Mojtaba escaped because he went out for some work.
Mojtaba Khamenei walked out minutes before missiles killed his father
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, escaped death by mere minutes as he went out of the house for a walk right before a missile killed his father. Leaked audio from the February 28 accessed by The Telegraph shows that he was with Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning, but left him "to do something". The audio also reveals gruesome details about the Israeli and US strikes in which several more members of his family also lost their lives.
First detailed account of what happened on February 28 in Tehran
The audio is from a private meeting held on March 12, in which Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Khamenei’s office, briefed senior leaders about the incident. It is the first detailed account of what unfolded on the day the first strikes were carried out. “God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return,” he can be heard saying in the audio clip, according to the report. "He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Ms Haddad, was martyred instantly,” Hosseini says in the audio clip.
Ali Khamenei was killed by Blue Sparrow missiles
Soon after Mojtaba left his father, who was in the palace for a meeting with senior officials on Saturday morning, Israeli Blue Sparrow missiles struck the palace compound, killing Ali Khamenei, his wife, daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law. The audio describes graphic details of the condition in which Iran’s military chief and his son-in-law were found.
Three missiles struck three different areas of Khamenei's palace
Hosseini tells Iran’s senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders that at least three missiles struck Khamenei’s compound. One of them hit the place Khamenei was at the time, another missile struck an upper floor, which is where Mojtaba lived, and the home of his brother-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani. “The missile was so powerful that it went downstairs where Mr Misbah was, it went to Mr Misbah’s room,” Hosseini said. “The missiles were struck in a way that cut his head in half.”
'Few kilos of flesh' helped identify Iran's military chief
Iran's military chief, Mohammad Shirazi, was blown to bits in the attack and was identified through a "few kilos of flesh". “He was blown to pieces – they could find nothing from him, and at the end they found a few kilos of flesh and identified it as his body,” Hosseini said in the leaked audio. Mostafa Khamenei, Khamenei’s eldest son, and his wife survived the attack.
Mojtaba suffered leg injury, Hosseini says in leaked audio clip
He also states in the audio clip that Mojtaba suffered "a minor injury to his leg". Since being named the new Ayatollah, Mojtaba has not made a single public appearance. A message from him was read on Iran's state TV, in which he warned of continued strikes and told Gulf nations to shut down US bases. Some reports claim that Mojtaba is critical and in a coma, while Iran has maintained that the Supreme Leader is fine.
Trump says Mojtaba Khamenei 'could be dead'
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei may be dead. “A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg, one leg, and he’s been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead,” he told reporters on Monday. He said no one has seen him, "which is unusual". Some reports state that Khamenei is unconscious and isn't even aware that he was named the new Ayatollah.
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