Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader in March 2026 after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, and he has issued statements and approved key IRGC and security appointments while remaining unseen in public. Iranian officials, including President Pezeshkian, have repeatedly confirmed he is alive, recovering from injuries sustained in the February attack, and exercising final authority from secure locations inside the country, citing ongoing security threats from the conflict. No credible reporting has documented any departure from Iran, and analysts note that dynastic succession and regime continuity incentives make exit unlikely absent a major shift in the war or internal power dynamics. Recent media profiles from family members and proof-of-life claims have aimed to address speculation over his health and whereabouts without altering the pattern of domestic seclusion.