US intelligence shows that Ali Khamenei was wary about his son replacing him as supreme leader of Iran, CBS News reported on Sunday, citing multiple sources briefed on the matter.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was perceived by his father as being “not very bright” and “unqualified to be leader,” according to the sources, and that he also struggled in his personal life.
The information was reportedly shared with US President Donald Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and select other senior officials, though Trump does not know if knowing this matters, as he believes Mojtaba to be “possibly dead.”
Trump hinted at this during a Friday interview with Fox News, saying that Iran’s "leadership is gone. Their second leadership is gone. Now their third leadership is in trouble, and this is not somebody that the father even wanted.”
Last week, Iranian state television reported that Mojtaba had been wounded in the ongoing war, though did not provide additional detail into the injury or if it has impacted his duties as supreme leader.
Mojtaba not seen in public since his appointment
There have not been any signs of life from him since his appointment to Iran's supreme leader.
Mojtaba did not appear either on Thursday, when a newscaster on Iranian state television read out his first address while a photo of him was shown. In the statement, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close US bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that Mojtaba is wounded and likely disfigured, before, questioning Khamenei's ability to lead after nearly two weeks of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
CBS added that the White House further believes that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is currently pulling the strings within Iran.
Spokespeople for the CIA, White House, and vice president, all declined to comment on the matter.
Shir Perets, Amichai Stein, and Reuters contributed to this report.