There are questions that remain hanging in the air — is Iran’s new ‘Supreme Leader’ alive, dead, wounded, gay… or some combination of the above?
According to leaked audio that has allegedly been “independently verified”, he did at least initially survive the strike that took out his father.
And some of the details described in that audio about the attack is downright gruesome.
And no — I’m not kidding about the question of Mojtaba Khamenei’s possible gayness, which I just mentioned in my opener.
That is an honest-to-goodness REAL HEADLINE, and President Trump has even received a high-level briefing on that intel!
If you haven’t heard the story yet, here’s Anthony’s coverage from earlier:
President Trump Received High Level Intel That Iran’s New Supreme Leader Is Gay
But back to the story at hand -- the leaked audio and the details of how the second eldest son of the former leader of Iran survived that blistering attack.
If... in fact... he did.
In that audio, the Head of Protocol for the Supreme Leader explains what he considers to be the divine intervention that protected Mojtaba during the attack shown below.
This is footage released by the IDF which purportedly shows the aerial assault on Khamenei's compound:
🎥 WATCH: ~50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dismantled Ali Khamenei’s underground military bunker beneath the Iranian regime’s leadership compound in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/Nw0tvvQMRX
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 6, 2026
According to the audio that is being reported today, Mojtaba was a primary target of the strike.
And the CIA had eyes on the Iranian leadership for months leading up to the attack against Iran, according to this report from Fox News following the killing of Khamenei and his top leadership:
🔥: NEW: CIA had eyes on Khamenei for months. Then BOOM!
The CIA spot him holed up with the regime’s top guys in one room for a big meeting.
Trump green lighted the strike right then and there. pic.twitter.com/SCirEsGfTO
— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) March 2, 2026
So, how is it then, that Mojtaba -- regardless of his sexual preferences -- 'ALLEGEDLY' survived that massive attack; with so many months of intel backing up the target package?
According to the Head of Protocol heard in the leaked audio, it was a God thing.
I would beg to differ.
But that's the story that was told to the remaining Iranian leadership, according to the New York Post:
Leaked audio from a meeting about the Feb. 28 strike on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound revealed that his son, the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was with his father in Tehran when he stepped out “to do something,” The Telegraph reported.
“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return,” Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Khamenei’s office, reportedly told Iranian leaders in a private meeting on March 12.
ADVERTISEMENTHosseini also informed Iran’s senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders that at least three missiles were used in the strike on Khamenei’s compound.
One of the missiles struck where Khamenei was stationed, with another missile hitting Mojtaba’s home on an upper floor and the home belonging to his brother-in-law Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani, according to the leaked audio.
The leaked audio surfaced amid speculations over Mojtaba’s condition, with the supreme leader nowhere to be seen since the start of the war.
As rumors suggest that Mojtaba is far more injured than what is being presented by the state, President Trump speculated that the new leader may not even be alive.
Considering the devastation unleashed on the Supreme Leader's compound, it is definitely shocking that ANYONE could survive.
Check out the satellite imagery after the attack, as seen here in a Fox News report following the strike:
SMOLDERING RUIN! - Satellite imagery just revealed the total destruction of Ayatollah Khamenei's compound from US and Israeli strikes.
Utter devastation. Rubble everywhere!
The heart of the mullah regime looks completely wiped out now. Symbolic. Powerful.
Iranians must be… pic.twitter.com/4B2uqV0YiD
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) February 28, 2026
But stranger things have happened.
And at least according to the audio, which The Telegraph is upholding as authentic...
The current 'Supreme Leader' of Iran is only alive because he decided to take a walk among the tulips in his daddy's garden. (Full body shiver just writing that.)
Full disclosure -- I have no idea if there were tulips in Khamenei's garden.
But I did look it up to verify the plausibility. Because I'm just weird like that.
And yes, tulips are very popular in Iran. (There's a bonus fun-fact for the day.)
Can't you just imagine the second-eldest son of the Supreme Leader tiptoeing through the tulips?
Given the aforementioned briefing Anthony reported on this morning, I'm going to say that's a definitive "it could happen" scenario.
Alright -- back on track.
As I said, the audio includes a few gruesome details, and has been "independently verified" according to this report from The Telegraph:
Iran’s new supreme leader survived US and Israeli air strikes because he stepped outside for a walk in his garden minutes before his home was hit by missiles.
An address delivered by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Ali Khamenei’s office, to senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders provides the first detailed account of what happened inside the supreme leader’s compound when it came under fire.
A recording of his comments was leaked to The Telegraph and has been independently verified.
Mr Hosseini revealed that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered an injury to his leg in the strikes, while his wife and son were killed instantly and his brother-in-law was decapitated.
The body of Mohammad Shirazi, chief of Khamenei’s military bureau, was also “blown to pieces”. Only “a few kilos of flesh” could be used to identify him, Mr Hosseini told the meeting, held on March 12 in Tehran’s Qolhak neighbourhood.
Mojtaba Khamenei lived in the same compound as his father in the Iranian capital. It also housed a religious hall where Ali Khamenei would give speeches, as well as the homes of Khamenei’s other children.
“He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile. His wife, Ms Haddad, was martyred instantly.”
ADVERTISEMENTMr Hosseini said Mojtaba sustained only “a minor injury to his leg”.
Here's a small portion of the audio, as shared by The Telegraph via X:
🔴 NEW: Mojtaba Khamenei survived the February 28 strikes by seconds, as revealed by leaked audio obtained by The Telegraph
Listen to the recording from inside the compound, and read the full exclusive below ⬇️https://t.co/g1BP2YcxQk pic.twitter.com/QeZmkvZJ9A
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 16, 2026
But for a little more context, I found a longer version of the audio in a single file.
This was shared by Disclose.tv on their X account, and includes the same English translations that accompany reporting from The Telegraph.
I can verify that this is in fact the same audio released by The Telegraph:
JUST IN - Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei survived strikes that killed his father, because he had gone outside "to do something" moments before missiles struck his residence, newly disclosed audio reveals — Telegraph pic.twitter.com/KK2xElphuc
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 16, 2026
So, what's the takeaway?
I'm still left with the same question -- even if he survived the initial strike, is he still alive (gay, straight, or otherwise)?
Usually if a VIP can't show up for an official event, a livestream or previously taped message is offered up.
So far, the best Mojtaba Khamenei can do is cardboard cutouts and "Trust me, bro" from the Iranian version of Baghdad Bob.
Alive... or dead?
Even with that intriguing audio, I'm leaving that $64,000 dollar question firmly in the TBD category.
In the meantime, I'll keep my ears to the ground for more substantial verifiable proof to answer that question -- if such a thing even exists in this new AI-generated age...
How does it strike you?



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