Hegseth pours doubt on ability of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei
The article reports that Pete Hegseth, during a Pentagon briefing, amplified doubts about Iran’s new supreme leader, ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, aligning with Donald Trump’s prior remarks about Iran’s leadership. It states the U.S. has degraded Iran’s capabilities and notes there are no clear signs that Khamenei is alive or in control. Hegseth describes Iran’s leadership as desperate and hiding, suggesting Khamenei is wounded or disfigured, and he criticizes Khamenei’s first written statement as weak. He questions who is actually running the country, arguing the government is barely able to communicate or coordinate amid the U.S.-Israeli pressure campaign.Trump is reported as offering similar uncertainty about Khamenei’s status while implying that the war in Iran could still shape voter concerns. The piece portrays Khamenei as an opaque figure with little public footage,fueling speculation about his whereabouts and the leadership’s legitimacy,and it references related stories and paywalled content for broader context.
Hegseth pours doubt on ability of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei
War Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed President Donald Trump’s comments, doubting Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, can lead the country.
In a Pentagon press briefing on Friday morning, Hegseth boasted of the U.S.’s degradation of Iran’s capabilities, specifically targeting the confusion around the lack of signs of life from Khamenei.
“Iran’s leadership is in no better shape, desperate and hiding. They’ve gone underground, cowering. That’s what rats do,” Hegseth said. “We know the new so-called, not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured.”
He noted that Khamenei put out his first statement as leader on Thursday, but only a written one that was read on state TV. Hegseth derided the inaugural statement as “a weak one, actually.”
“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why? His father’s dead, he’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them,” Hegseth continued.
He questioned who was actually running Iran, and said the government was “barely” able to communicate, “let alone coordinate,” due to the U.S.-Israeli onslaught.
Trump gave similar details on Thursday, indicating that U.S. intelligence wasn’t even completely sure he was alive.
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“I think he probably is,” he told Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade when asked if he thought the new supreme leader was alive. “I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form.”
Khamenei is an opaque figure, with almost no footage existing of him, in stark contrast to his media-savvy father. Speculation around his whereabouts and the process by which he was selected is rife, with reports circulating that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pushed his appointment through despite lacking the typical qualifications.
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