Amid ongoing rumors about his health after the recent strikes, a report stated that the 56-year-old cleric reportedly lost at least one leg and suffered severe injuries to his stomach or liver in the attack that also killed his father.
US President Donald Trump believes that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still alive “in some form or another,” even though he has not been seen publicly since assuming office following the outbreak of war in Iran.
Trump’s remarks follow a US media report claiming that Khamenei was injured in US-Israeli strikes during an attack on a compound in Tehran on February 28—an incident in which his father was killed—and that he may currently be in a coma.
Speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio, Trump stated, “I think he probably is. “I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form or another, you know.” The interview was taped on Thursday to be aired on Friday morning.
The US President’s comments came after Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public statement since assuming office, in which he signaled that Iran would not back down in its war against the United States and Israel.
Addressing the Iranian people, Khamenei declared, “We will not back down from avenging the blood of your martyrs.”
He also asserted that Iran should blockade the Strait of Hormuz and continue launching attacks against its Gulf Arab neighbors to advance its interests. He appealed to the people of the Gulf nations to “shut down” US military bases, describing US promises of security as “nothing more than lies.”
Mojtaba Khamenei in a Coma?
Amidst rumors regarding his condition following the recent attacks, a report by The Sun claimed that the 56-year-old cleric had lost at least one leg and sustained severe damage to his abdomen or liver during the strikes—an incident that also resulted in the deaths of his wife, one of his sisters, his niece, and his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier, an Iranian ambassador had stated that Khamenei was injured during the initial shelling of the war.
Ambassador Alireza Salarian said earlier this week, “I heard that he sustained injuries to his leg, hand, and arm… I believe he is in the hospital due to his injuries.”
Khamenei has not appeared in public since the war began. His first public statement—in which he vowed to fight—was not delivered by him personally, either on TV or in a video recording.