Iran's Supreme Leader Using Secret 'Human Chain' of Couriers to Avoid Detection: Report

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is commanding the country through a secret “human chain” of handwritten letters to avoid detection by the US and Israel, according to a report by The New York Times. The report said messages meant for the leader are “handwritten, sealed in envelopes and passed on via a human chain” of trusted couriers. These couriers travel on highways and rural back roads using motorcycles and cars to reach his “hide-out,” with replies sent back through the same secure route.

This unusual system comes as security protocols around Mojtaba have reached unprecedented levels. Senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and high-ranking officials are avoiding visiting him, fearing Israel could “trace his location” and carry out an assassination. Mojtaba has remained largely absent from public view since taking over after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israel strike on February 28. No video or audio recordings of the new leader have been released, and his directives are issued via social media or read on state television.

The report noted he is acting “consciously as he does not want to appear vulnerable or sound weak in his first public address.” An Iranian official said the leader was “gravely” injured in the strikes but remains “mentally sharp and engaged.” The attack reportedly “damaged his face” and left him requiring “plastic surgery.” Medical details suggest extensive injuries. One leg has undergone three operations and is “awaiting a prosthetic leg,” while an injured hand is “regaining function gradually.” Injuries to his “face and lips” have also made it “difficult for him to speak.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a trained heart surgeon, and the country’s health minister have both been directly “involved in his care.” The leader is reportedly mostly surrounded by doctors and healthcare professionals at an undisclosed location.

The developments come during an “uneasy ceasefire” between the US and Iran after a period of intense fighting in the Middle East. Despite the pause, a “deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz” continues.