Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is wounded and likely disfigured, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, questioning Khamenei's ability to lead after nearly two weeks of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Khamenei has not been seen by Iranians since his selection on Sunday by a clerical assembly, and his first comments came in a statement read out by a television presenter on Thursday. In them, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close US bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
An Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that the newly appointed supreme leader was lightly injured but was continuing to operate, after state television described him as war-wounded.
"We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It was a written statement," Hegseth told a briefing.
"Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father is dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run, and he lacks legitimacy."
Hegseth disputes Hormuz mining
Regarding Khamenei's threats against the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth stated that the US will not allow shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to be contested by Iran.
He noted that there is no clear evidence that Iran has placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which contrasts with news reports earlier this week suggesting Iran had deployed about a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for a fifth of the world's oil.
Asked about the possibility of mines in the Strait, Hegseth said: "We've heard them talk about it just like you've reported recklessly and wildly about it. But ... we have no clear evidence of that." Hegseth's comments come as the United States and other countries face spiking oil and gas prices, with oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel on Friday.