US President Donald Trump has said he believes Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, is likely still alive “in some form,” despite not being seen in public since assuming office after the war in Iran began.
Trump’s remarks came after a US media report suggested that Khamenei was injured during US-Israeli strikes on a Tehran compound on February 28. The attack reportedly killed his father, Ali Khamenei, and left Mojtaba Khamenei severely wounded, with speculation that he may even be in a coma.
“I think he probably is. I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said during an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. The interview was recorded on Thursday and scheduled to air on Friday morning.
The US president’s comments followed Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement since taking office, in which he indicated that Iran would not retreat from the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
In his address, Khamenei vowed that Iran would avenge those killed in the conflict. “We will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said. He also suggested that Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and continue attacks against Gulf Arab neighbours as leverage. Additionally, he urged citizens in Gulf countries to shut down US military bases, claiming that Washington’s promised protection was “nothing more than a lie.”
Is Mojtaba Khamenei in a Coma?
Amid ongoing rumours about his health following the strikes, a report by The Sun claimed that the 56-year-old cleric may have lost at least one leg and suffered severe stomach or liver injuries. The report also stated that the strikes killed several of his family members, including his wife, one of his sisters, his niece, and his father.
Earlier, Iran’s ambassador Alireza Salarian said Khamenei had indeed been injured during the opening phase of the war.
“I have heard that he was injured in his legs and hand and arm… I think he is in the hospital because he is injured,” Salarian said earlier this week.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began. His first statement, vowing to continue the fight, was not delivered in person, on television, or even through a recorded video.