Trump says Iran’s Khamenei alive but ‘very seriously wounded’

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he believes Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive but was "very seriously wounded" in the US-Israeli strikes that killed his father in February, offering his most detailed public assessment yet of the Iranian leader's condition amid months of speculation.

"I don't think he's dead. He was very seriously wounded. The left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck. He added that if Khamenei had in fact died, Iran was "putting on a pretty good show because they talk about going back to talk to him all the time to get a final blessing on things."thehill+1

The comments came one day after The Atlantic published a report citing sources in Tehran speculating that Mojtaba Khamenei was either dead or brain-dead, though others believed he remained alive.thehill

Six Months Without a Public Appearance

Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the US-Israeli assault on February 28. Since then, the younger Khamenei has not appeared in any clearly contemporaneous photograph, video, or audio recording. He failed to appear at a major wake for his father last week despite being its official host, and several senior Iranian officials have reportedly acknowledged they have not seen him.moneycontrol

Iranian media released previously unseen footage of Mojtaba on August 24 showing him presiding over an academic session, but the footage was undated and could not independently establish when it was recorded. His office has continued issuing religious rulings, decrees, and appointments, while President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he met with the Supreme Leader to discuss the war and economy.moneycontrol

Trump Predicts Victory, Claims Strait Open

Trump used the interview to predict a swift end to the six-month-old conflict. "We're going to have a big victory here very soon," he said. He claimed the Strait of Hormuz was functioning, saying 10 million barrels of oil had transited the waterway on Tuesday with 22 vessels passing overnight.yenisafak+1

Shipping trackers have reported an uptick in oil moving through the strait in recent weeks, though traffic remains far below pre-war levels. Direct talks between the US and Iran remain stalled, with Tehran insisting the US must lift its naval blockade before negotiations can proceed.thehill

Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains the central US objective. "We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's what it's all about. That's 99.9 percent," he said.kurdistan24

The Politics of Absence

Iran International, a London-based outlet covering Iranian affairs, published an analysis Wednesday arguing that Khamenei's absence has become both a vulnerability and an instrument for the regime — suspending succession fights while denying the system clear direction. Without a visible leader to arbitrate, Iranian factions have split over whether to pursue war or negotiation, with both camps invoking the Supreme Leader's authority while neither can produce him.iranintl