US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth said today that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded and probably disfigured in the strikes that killed his father at the start of the war against Iran.
“We know that the new so-called, not-so-supreme leader is wounded and probably disfigured,” the Pentagon chief said at a press conference, cited by Spanish news agency EFE.
Hegseth noted that Khamenei released a statement on Thursday — his first since being announced as the new leader on Sunday — which was read by a female presenter on state television. “He put out a statement, actually a fairly weak one, but there was no voice and there was no video,” he said.
Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first US and Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28.
Hegseth argued that Mojtaba Khamenei “lacks legitimacy” and speaks of unity after “murdering tens of thousands of protesters” — a reference to protests that began in late 2025 and were violently suppressed by the regime, with thousands killed.
“Iran has cameras and recorders — why issue a written statement? I think we know why,” Hegseth insisted, adding that Khamenei is afraid and that much of his family was killed in the strikes.
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In Thursday’s message, Khamenei struck a defiant tone, calling for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed, threatening US bases in the Middle East and vowing that “the blood of the martyrs will be avenged.” The statement was read by a presenter on state television as an image of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s flag and a photograph of the new leader were broadcast.
