Is Mojtaba Khamenei Still Alive? Donald Trump Breaks Silence On 'Damaged' Iranian Leader

President Donald Trump has weighed in on swirling rumours about Mojtaba Khamenei's health, suggesting Iran's new Supreme Leader is 'probably alive' but 'damaged' from recent US strikes.

Speaking to Fox News Radio on Thursday, Trump addressed the 56-year-old cleric's absence from public view since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in a February 28 airstrike in Tehran.

The elder Khamenei died last month amid Operation Epic Fury, a joint US-Israeli campaign that hammered Iranian leadership and military sites. His assassination at a Tehran compound also claimed his wife, a sister and a niece of Mojtaba, thrusting the son into power via the Assembly of Experts just days ago. Iranian state media confirmed the succession, but no footage or photos of Mojtaba have surfaced, fuelling wild speculation from Tehran insiders.

Probing Doubts Over Mojtaba Khamenei's Survival

Trump didn't mince words during his chat with host Brian Kilmeade. 'I think he probably is. I think he's damaged, but I think he's probably alive in some form,' the president said, airing the full interview Friday morning. It's a rare peek into White House thinking on a figure Israel has already flagged as a target, with Trump once dubbing him 'unacceptable.'

Whispers from Iranian sources paint a grim picture, though they clash wildly. One Tehran contact told The Sun that Mojtaba lies in a coma at Sina University Hospital, legs amputated, liver or stomach ruptured from the initial blasts. 'One or two of his legs have been cut off,' the source smuggled out, evading blackouts to reach London exiles.

Contrast that with milder accounts; a fractured foot, bruised eye, facial cuts, per CNN and New York Times leaks from officials. An Iranian ambassador even admitted leg and arm wounds severe enough for hospital care.

Then came Mojtaba's first statement as leader, broadcast Thursday on state TV. An anchor read it aloud beside a static image; no video, no voice. He swore vengeance for 'every member of the nation martyred by the enemy,' vowing to choke the Strait of Hormuz and hit Gulf bases. 'We will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,' he declared, urging Gulf folk to nix US outposts as 'lies.' Trump brushed it off; 'They've been doing a lot of talking, so he's going to have to put up.'

Mojtaba Khamenei's Vows Clash with Battlefield Realities

The bluster lands oddly amid Iran's pounding. Trump boasted his forces have shredded most missiles, drones and factories – 'hitting them harder than anybody's been hit since World War II.' US Navy escorts through the Hormuz strait? Off the table now, Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned, as Tehran touts it for leverage.​

Sceptics in Tehran push back. Yousef Pezeshkian, son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, posted on Telegram that friends confirmed Mojtaba 'safe and sound' after rumour checks. Iranian TV flashed an AI-tweaked photo earlier, but experts called it dodgy. No confirmation either way – regime opacity breeds doubt, and Western intel stays tight-lipped.​

Mojtaba, long the shadowy power behind his father's throne with Revolutionary Guard ties, now steers a regime on autopilot, per some reports. Pre-war, he was a divisive heir apparent; hardliner credentials strong, but constitutional snags loomed over his lack of formal posts. Netanyahu had hinted signs pointed to the old man's demise weeks back.