The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has said he believes Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still alive but may have been seriously affected following recent attacks linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the role after his father, Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader, was reportedly killed on the first day of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran.
Since his selection by a clerical assembly on Sunday, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly.
His first remarks were instead delivered through a television presenter on Thursday.
Speaking during an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show aired by Fox News, Trump said he believed the new Iranian leader had survived but might be in a weakened condition.
“I think he probably is alive. I think he is damaged, but I think he is probably alive in some form,” Trump said during the interview, which was published by the broadcaster late Thursday.
In his first known remarks since assuming office, Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Iran would maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and urged neighbouring countries hosting American military facilities to shut them down or risk becoming targets of Iranian attacks.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran. Tehran has since responded with retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf countries hosting US military bases.
As the conflict approaches its second week, thousands of casualties have been reported, while global financial markets have also experienced significant volatility.
Despite the rising toll, leaders in Iran, Israel and the United States have continued to issue defiant statements, signalling their determination to sustain the military campaign.
