.png)
1 hour ago
1
President Donald Trump has said he believes Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still alive but may have been injured following the outbreak of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since he was chosen by a clerical assembly to lead the country after the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, during the opening phase of the war.
The younger Khamenei’s first public message since assuming the position was read out on Thursday by a television presenter on Iranian state media.
Speaking during an interview on the Fox News programme *The Brian Kilmeade Show*, Trump suggested the new Iranian leader might have sustained injuries but survived the early stages of the conflict.
READ ALSO : Netanyahu claims Israel is ‘crushing’ Iran, Hezbollah as war escalates
“I think he probably is (alive). I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”
The remarks, published by Fox News late Thursday, came as questions continued to swirl about Khamenei’s whereabouts since he was installed as Iran’s top political and religious authority.
In his first remarks as supreme leader, Khamenei adopted a defiant tone, warning that Iran would keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and urging neighbouring countries to shut down American military bases located within their territories.
He also cautioned that countries hosting such facilities could face Iranian retaliation if the bases remain operational.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iranian targets.
Since then, Iran has responded with missile attacks on Israeli territory as well as strikes on Gulf states hosting American military installations.
As the war nears the two-week mark, the fighting has already left thousands dead and triggered turbulence in global financial markets.
Despite the mounting casualties and economic fallout, the leadership in Tehran, Jerusalem and Washington have continued to signal that they are prepared to sustain the confrontation.
The post Trump says Iran’s new supreme leader ‘alive but damaged’ amid ongoing war appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
