Trump says Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'alive in some form' despite injuries

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he thinks Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, though perhaps barely.

Speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio, the US president said he believes the 56-year-old leader survived the strike that reportedly killed his father, Ali Khamenei, but may have been badly hurt in the process.

“I think he probably is,” Trump said when asked whether Mojtaba Khamenei is alive. “I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know."

The elder Khamenei was reportedly killed in US-Israeli strikes earlier this year, clearing the way for his son to assume leadership of the Islamic Republic. But the younger Khamenei has not been seen in public since the conflict began.

Conflicting reports on Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition

There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the cleric’s health after a report from The Sun claimed the Iranian leader may be gravely wounded following the airstrike that killed his father on February 28.

According to the report, Khamenei is in a coma and may have lost at least one leg during the attack. Sources cited by the newspaper said the cleric suffered severe internal injuries and is being treated under tight security 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,” one source told the newspaper.

Iranian officials, however, have offered a far less dire account. While acknowledging that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during the strike, they insist he survived and is recovering.

Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, confirmed to The Guardian that the cleric was wounded but survived the bombardment. “I have heard that he was injured in his legs, hand, and arm. I think he is in the hospital because he is injured,” the diplomat said.

Salarian also suggested the injuries explain why the new Supreme Leader has remained out of sight since formally succeeding his father. “I don’t think he is comfortable (in any condition) to give a speech,” he added.

Iranian state television has attempted to project an image of stability despite the uncertainty. The broadcaster aired what it described as Mojtaba Khamenei’s first statement since taking power, though it was read aloud by a news presenter rather than the cleric himself.

In the message, Khamenei warned that Iran would retaliate against the United States and its regional military presence. “All US bases should be immediately closed in the region, otherwise they will be attacked,” Khamenei said.

He also threatened economic retaliation if Tehran’s demands were 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 said.

Trump claims Iran’s military capabilities have been crippled

During the radio interview, Trump also delivered his assessment of Iran’s military posture in the Middle East. He argued that the country had been preparing for a regional power grab before the conflict escalated.

“Iran had thousands of missiles pointed at all these Middle Eastern countries for the last four months,” he said. “They were going to take over the Middle East, they were going to control it all, UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia," adding that Iran had “1,200 missiles pointed at these countries."

“All these nations were afraid of Iran, and they are not anymore. But they had reason to be afraid. We have knocked the hell out of them, like no other nation could, and they still have remnants left,” he said.

The President also dismissed concerns about maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that carries a large share of the world’s oil shipments.

Trump suggested ships should continue passing through the strait without hesitation. “There's nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy and we sunk all their ships,” he said, urging vessels to “go through the strait of Hormuz and show some guts.”

When Kilmeade asked what message he had for the new Iranian leader, Trump was rather brief.

“Well, they've been doing a lot of talking, so he's going to have to put up. We'll have to see because we are decimating them,” he said.

Trump claimed US forces have severely degraded Iran’s military infrastructure.

“We've knocked out most of their missiles. We've knocked out many of their drones. We knocked out a lot of the manufacturing areas where they manufacture the missiles and now the drones," he added. “We're hitting them harder than anybody's been hit since World War II.”