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U.S. intelligence circulated to U.S. President Donald Trump and a small circle around him indicates that Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had misgivings about his son Mojtaba Khamenei ever taking power, viewing him as unqualified and "not very bright," multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The White House privately concluded that Iran is "effectively leaderless" and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is now calling the shots.
The intelligence analysis showed that Ali Khamenei was wary of his son replacing him as supreme leader and was aware that Mojtaba had issues in his personal life, according to sources within the Trump administration, the intelligence community, and people close to the president.
Trump hinted at the intelligence publicly in a Fox News interview on Friday.
"Their leadership is gone. Their second leader is gone. Now their third leadership is in trouble, and this is not somebody that the father even wanted," Trump said.
He has also called Mojtaba Khamenei a "lightweight" who would be an "unacceptable" leader for Iran and has suggested he wants some oversight over Iran's next leader.
In private conversations, Trump has told people close to him that he does not know that the information about Mojtaba Khamenei matters, believing Iran is essentially leaderless right now, with the younger Khamenei possibly dead, CBS reported.
The White House believes Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is currently calling the shots in Iran, representing a significant change from the theocratic structure that has existed since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other senior officials have been briefed on the intelligence about the younger Khamenei.
A senior Israeli official told Fox News that Mojtaba Khamenei "is in low condition to function" and is injured, with IRGC personnel surrounding and managing him, and Israeli intelligence is working to determine the extent of his injuries.
Experts have suggested that Khamenei's first written statement, released Thursday, may have been written by IRGC personnel.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Friday that Mojtaba Khamenei is "wounded and likely disfigured," while Vance said it was an apparent strike that left him wounded.
The federal government on Friday offered up to $10 million for information on the location of Mojtaba Khamenei and nine other key Iranian officials.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei "is in good health and continues to fully manage the country."
Iran has yet to publicly confirm his condition, and the new leader has not made a public appearance since succeeding his father.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was selected as Iran's supreme leader last weekend by the country's council of religious clerics after serving as a close aide to his father for years.
Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli missile strike in the opening salvo of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, approximately eight days before his son's selection.
Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran's third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, following his father and Ruhollah Khomeini. His first written statement, released Thursday, suggested that Iran may open new fronts in the conflict.
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