Iran supreme leader wounded, likely disfigured: US
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday claimed that Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, is "wounded and likely disfigured" in strikes by the US on the country, describing the new leadership in Tehran as "desperate and hiding" amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Speaking alongside the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Dan Caine, during a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth stated that the new leadership was in "no better shape" and questioned the recent statement by the supreme leader for its legitimacy, calling it "weak" and unusual for a country with extensive media and surveillance capabilities.
"Iran's leadership is in no better shape -- desperate and hiding, they've gone underground, cowering. That's what rats do. We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured," Hegseth said.
"He put out a statement yesterday, a weak one actually, but there was no voice and there was no video... 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. It's a mess for them," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first address, vowed vengeance for those who lost their lives in the ongoing conflict. --
ANI