U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Washington believes Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded and “likely disfigured” following recent airstrikes during the war with Iran.
Speaking at a briefing, Hegseth said, “We know the new, so called, not so Supreme Leader is wounded and likely disfigured.”
The claim comes amid earlier unconfirmed speculation that Mojtaba Khamenei may have been injured or even killed in a U.S. and Israeli strike that targeted leadership sites at the start of the conflict.
Iranian officials have acknowledged he was injured but say the wounds were minor, while the true extent of his condition remains unclear.