Trump says Iran’s new supreme leader is ‘alive but broken’ amid ongoing war

President Donald Trump says he believes Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive but may be injured after the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

Khamenei has not appeared in public since he was chosen by a clerical council to lead the country following the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei, in the early stages of the war.

The younger Khamenei’s first public message since taking office was read on Thursday by a television presenter on Iran’s state media.

Speaking in an interview on the Fox News program *The Brian Kilmeade Show*, Trump stated that Iran’s new leader may have suffered injuries but survived the early stages of the conflict.

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“I think he’s probably (alive). I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, ‌you ⁠know,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”

The statement, published by Fox News on Thursday evening, came as questions continue to arise about Khamenei’s whereabouts since he was installed as Iran’s highest political and religious authority.

In his first statement as supreme leader, Khamenei took a defiant tone, warning that Iran would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz and urging neighboring countries to close American military bases located on their territory.

He also warned that countries hosting such facilities could face Iranian retaliation if the bases remained operational.

The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iranian targets.

Since then, Iran has responded with missile attacks on Israeli territory as well as attacks on Gulf states that host American military installations.

As the war approaches two weeks, the fighting has left thousands dead and sparked turmoil in global financial markets.

Despite the mounting death toll and economic impact, leaders in Tehran, Jerusalem and Washington continue to signal that they are ready to resume confrontation.