As the mystery surrounding Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei continues, a cleric has claimed that he escaped death twice in the initial strikes on Tehran in February this year and was rescued from the rubble of a hospital before being relocated to an undisclosed place.

According to a report by the New York Post, an Iranian cleric has said that Mojtaba escaped with injuries when his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in February 28 joint strikes by Israel and the US under Operation Epic Fury.

Mohsen Heydari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, reportedly made the revelation in an interview with Qatari television network Al Araby on Thursday.

He added that after Ali Khamenei was killed, Mojtaba was shifted to a hospital, but the next strikes targeted three hospitals.

"Even after he had been wounded and taken to the hospital, three hospitals in Tehran were bombed,” Heydari said, adding, "Mojtaba Khamenei was in the third hospital and was pulled from the rubble."

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Heydari's remarks came in the backdrop of speculations over his condition as the US intelligence reports had indicated that he was badly disfigured in the attacks.

Heydari also spoke about Mojtaba's appointment as Iran's supreme leader. Heydari claimed that Mojtaba didn't know about the decision and came to know only after the announcement was broadcast on Iranian state TV.

The New York Post reported that Qom Secretariat, where the Assembly of Experts operates, was also bombed in the US and Israeli strikes, killing eight people. The reports and recommendations related to the selection of the next supreme leader were also destroyed in the attack.

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He recalled leaders recommending Mojtaba's name. "Given the enemy’s position, we will choose and elect no one as leader and supreme guide of the Islamic Republic except Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei," Heydari said.

"We obtained information that Mojtaba Khamenei was healthy and able to lead, and we determined that he met the requirements of religious qualification, justice and competence to manage the country," he said.