United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday said Iran's newly-appointed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is "wounded and likely disfigured", BBC reported. His remarks came a day after the Iranian leader released a written statement promising to continue the ongoing conflict in the region.
Hegseth made the comments while speaking about the situation surrounding Iran’s leadership following the recent escalation in hostilities.
Remarks from the US defence secretary
During his statement, Hegseth suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei's condition may explain why his recent message was released only in written form rather than through a recorded address.
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"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 was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father's dead. He's scared. He's injured. He's on the run. And he lacks legitimacy. It's a mess for them. Who's in charge? Iran may not even know," the war secretary added.
Hegseth also criticised the content of the statement issued by the Iranian leader.
"He called for unity. Apparently, killing tens of thousands of protesters is his kind of unity," he stated further.
Written message issued amid tensions
Referring a written statement from Mojtaba's read aloud on Iranian state TV yesterday, Hegseth questions why there was no footage or audio of Motjaba. "I think you know why," he added.
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The defence secretary says Motjaba is "scared" and "injured", claiming he is "on the run" and "lacks legitimacy".
The statement, released on Thursday, marked the first public message attributed to him since he assumed the position of Iran’s supreme leader. In the message, the cleric pledged to continue the war as tensions remain high across the region.
