Mojtaba Khamenei dead or alive? Donald Trump issues BIG statement, fuels fresh speculation over Iran’s new Supreme Leader

Talking to Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade, Donald Trump suggested the Iranian leader may have survived the attack but suffered serious harm.

New Delhi: In a major development, US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is likely still alive “in some form.” It is important to note that even as speculation grows over the extent of his injuries following recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei has assumed office after the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, but has yet to make any public appearance.

Talking to Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade, Donald Trump suggested the Iranian leader may have survived the attack but suffered serious harm. “I think he probably is. I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said in the interview, which was recorded on Thursday and aired on Friday.

This comes after a US media report claiming Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during US-Israeli strikes on a Tehran compound on February 28, the attack in which his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed.

Here are some of the key details:

Donald Trump has said that the Iranian leader may have survived the attack but suffered serious harm.
The report suggested the younger Khamenei may have slipped into a coma following the assault.
Mojtaba Khamenei earlier issued his first statement since taking office, vowing that Iran would not retreat in the conflict with the United States and Israel.

While addressing the nation, Mojtaba warned of retaliation and called for intensified pressure on regional rivals. “We will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” Khamenei said. He also urged Iran to consider closing the Strait of Hormuz and to continue strikes on Gulf Arab neighbours.

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He also asked people in Gulf countries to disrupt US military bases, claiming American security guarantees were “nothing more than a lie.” Uncertainty over Khamenei’s condition has been fuelled by conflicting accounts.

A report by The Sun claimed that the 56-year-old cleric lost at least one leg and suffered severe internal injuries in the strikes, which also reportedly killed members of his immediate family.