NEW: Trump Shares Replace On Iranian Supreme Chief’s Situation
In a recent phone interview with NBC News, President Donald Trump suggested that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may be deceased.
“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” the president said. “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” he said.
Trump further stated that the Iranian government has reached out over the prospect of a ceasefire, though he stressed that his terms for such an agreement had not yet been made. “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” the president added.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assumed the role of Supreme Leader following his father’s death in the opening wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28. Ali Khamenei’s death was confirmed by Iranian state media after joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.
President Trump announced Ali Khamenei’s death on Truth Social that day, writing, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, aged 56, was quickly elevated to the position after his father’s death. However, early reports indicated he was wounded in the same airstrikes that killed his father.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced during a press conference earlier this week that Mojtaba is believed to have been gravely injured and disfigured as a result of the same bombing that killed his father. The New York Post reported that Iran had published AI-altered images of Mojtaba, suggesting he was too injured for public appearances.
The State Department has announced a $10 million reward for information on Mojtaba and other key Iranian figures.
Regardless of the new supreme leader’s status, Trump has indicated that he will not accept his leadership and has continued to call for the regime to be dismantled.