Iranian Official Says Supreme Leader Khamenei Thrown Off Stairs During US Strike, Now in ‘Perfect Health’

Reflecto News | Breaking News | Iran-US Conflict

TEHRAN — A senior Iranian official has disclosed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was thrown off a staircase and suffered back injuries during a U.S. airstrike earlier in the war, but has since recovered and is now in “perfect health.”

The revelation marks the first official acknowledgment that Khamenei, who assumed power following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war (February 28), was physically injured in the initial U.S.-Israeli bombardment.

“The Supreme Leader was thrown off the stairs and suffered injuries to his back and one of his legs, but now he is in perfect health after the end of his treatment.”
— Ebrahim Azizi, Head of the National Security Commission, Iranian Parliament

The statement was widely reported by Iranian media on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

📍 A Wounded Leader, Now Recovered

Azizi’s comments are the most detailed official confirmation of Khamenei’s physical condition during the war. Previous media reports had speculated that the new Supreme Leader was wounded and possibly receiving treatment in Russia — claims that Tehran officially denied but never fully clarified .

According to the new account, Khamenei’s injuries — a back injury and a leg injury — occurred during a U.S. airstrike, likely one of the opening salvos of the war on February 28 .

The official’s description of being “thrown off the stairs” suggests that Khamenei was not in a hardened bunker at the time of the attack, but rather in a conventional structure — perhaps his residence or a temporary headquarters — that was struck by a missile or bomb .

🏛️ Reasserting Khamenei’s Authority

Azizi’s insistence that the Supreme Leader is now in “perfect health” serves a dual purpose: to assure the Iranian public that the nation’s highest authority remains capable, and to send a signal to Washington that decapitation strikes failed to remove the clerical leadership .

The statement is also intended to counter rumors that Khamenei is a mere puppet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). By attributing the disclosure to a parliamentary commission, Azizi portrays Khamenei as an active commander overseeing the war effort .

Khamenei has not appeared in public since the war began, and his New Year’s address (Nowruz, March 20) was delivered via recorded video, not in person — a fact that fueled speculation about his physical condition .

⚔️ U.S. Posture and IRGC Influence

The U.S. has repeatedly targeted senior Iranian military commanders during the war, including the assassination of Quds Force commander General Esmail Qaani in a March airstrike . However, the Khamenei compound has been considered too sensitive to target directly, owing to the risk of triggering all-out war .

Azizi’s claim that Khamenei was thrown off stairs “during a US strike” suggests that the American attack came closer to decapitating the regime’s leadership than previously acknowledged .

If the Supreme Leader is indeed mobile and healthy, he is likely still exercising his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief. However, if he remains incapacitated, the IRGC would continue to fill the power vacuum .

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