Amid growing speculation about the health of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believes the leader is still alive but may have sustained serious injuries.
Speaking to Fox News Radio, Trump was asked whether he thinks Mojtaba—who assumed leadership after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israel strikes—is alive. He replied, "I think he probably is."
"I think he is damaged, but I think he's probably alive in some form, you know," Trump added during an appearance on the Brian Kilmeade Show.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since the outbreak of the war, raising questions about his health and his ability to lead Iran during the ongoing conflict. Reports suggest that the new leader may have been seriously injured in the airstrike that killed his father on February 28. According to The Sun, the 56-year-old cleric is reportedly in a coma and has lost at least one leg, suffering severe internal injuries.
Sources cited by the publication claimed that Khamenei sustained serious damage to his stomach or liver and is under heavy medical supervision at Sina University Hospital in Tehran. "One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well," a source told the newspaper.
Iranian officials have confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured but stated that he is safe and recovering. Tehran's ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, told The Guardian that the leader sustained injuries to his legs, hand, and arm. "I think he is in the hospital because he is injured," Salarian said. Explaining his absence from public events, the diplomat added, "I don't think he is comfortable in any condition to give a speech."
Iranian state television has sought to project continuity in leadership by broadcasting what it called Khamenei's first statement since taking power. In the message, read by a news presenter rather than the leader himself, Khamenei vowed to avenge the deaths of those killed in the conflict and threatened action against US military installations in the region.
"All US bases should be immediately closed in the region, otherwise they will be attacked," Khamenei said. He also warned that Iran would seek reparations and could target foreign assets if its demands are not met. "We will take war reparations from the enemy for the war it imposed on us. If the enemy refuses, we will seize as much of its assets as we deem appropriate; and if that is not possible, we will destroy an equivalent amount of its property," he added.
These remarks come as tensions continue to escalate between Iran, the United States, and Israel, with Khamenei yet to appear publicly since assuming the role of Supreme Leader.
