Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was pulled from the rubble of a hospital in Tehran after United States and Israeli strikes reportedly hit the medical centre where he had been taken following earlier air attacks, the New York Post reported.

The revelation was made by Mohsen Heydari, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, during an interview with the Qatari television network Al Araby on Thursday.

Heydari stated that even after Mojtaba Khamenei had been wounded and taken to hospital, three medical facilities in Tehran were bombed, and he was pulled from the debris of the third hospital.

The 56-year-old leader subsequently vanished to an undisclosed location and has not been seen in public or heard from since the incident.

Heydari also detailed the election process through which Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as Iran's new supreme leader on March 8, noting that he apparently did not know he had been selected until the announcement was broadcast on Iranian state television.

The Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with appointing the supreme leader, was itself targeted in the offensive; its Qom Secretariat was bombed, resulting in eight deaths and the destruction of reports and recommendations concerning the leadership selection.

Following the attack, Assembly members recorded their votes on paper before being summoned to a secret room for the selection process, where Heydari recalled being the first to propose Mojtaba Khamenei's name.

Heydari stated that given the enemy's stance, they would elect no one except Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as they had obtained information that he was healthy, capable of leading, and possessed the necessary religious qualifications, justice, and administrative competence.

Mojtaba Khamenei received 50 out of 59 votes during the meeting, whilst eight members voted for Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and one member abstained.

Heydari described Mojtaba Khamenei as a man of the shadows, noting that he had held no official political position within the Iranian state before becoming supreme leader, though he had previously served as an adviser to his father.

Speculation regarding Mojtaba Khamenei's physical condition has persisted following the strikes, with United States intelligence reports suggesting that he was severely disfigured in the bombardments.

Last month, United States President Donald Trump stated during an interview with American commentator Glenn Beck that he believed Mojtaba Khamenei was still alive despite suffering severe injuries to his left side, including his arm and leg.

Conversely, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserted in an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier that Mojtaba Khamenei was completely healthy, mentioning that the two had held a seven-hour meeting the previous month.

ANI