Mojtaba Khamenei is Alive but Severely Wounded, Says Donald Trump

President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive but has sustained severe injuries. In an interview with Fox News’ "The Brian Kilmeade Show" aired late Thursday (March 12), Trump remarked, "I think he’s probably [alive].

My guess is he’s been hit, but he’s probably alive in one form or another." Since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, Mojtaba has not appeared in public, and his first official address was read by a television presenter on state media.

While Iranian state media described him as being "wounded on the battlefield," a local official recently told Reuters that his injuries were minor. However, President Trump’s assessment suggests a far more critical condition for the new leader. In his televised statement, Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and warned of strikes on U.S. bases in neighboring countries. As the conflict enters its second week, the death toll has surpassed 1,000, causing massive fluctuations in global financial markets