Donald Trump has said he believes Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is likely alive but may have been injured following recent developments in the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed on the first day of the war involving the United States and Israel, has not been seen publicly since his selection as supreme leader by a clerical assembly on Sunday.
His first public remarks since the appointment were delivered by a television presenter on Thursday rather than by Khamenei himself.
Speaking in an interview on Fox News programme The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump said he believed the Iranian leader was still alive but possibly injured.
“I think he probably is alive. I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said during the interview, which was published late on Thursday.
In the statement attributed to him, Khamenei vowed that Iran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned neighbouring countries hosting U.S. military bases that they risk being targeted if those bases were not shut down.
The latest developments come amid an escalating conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran has since responded with strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases.
As the war approaches the two-week mark, thousands of people have reportedly been killed and global financial markets have been unsettled.
Despite the mounting casualties and economic impact, leaders in Iran, Israel and the United States have continued to express defiance and signalled that the conflict could continue.