Where is Mojtaba Khamenei? While Iran issues defiant communiqués, Washington drops an information bombshell: Iran’s leader is “wounded and disfigured” after the initial bombings of the war and that would be the reason why he has not shown his face.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth questions legitimacy of a successor who ‘speaks’ only through text and flags
“Wounded and disfigured,” Iran’s new leader
Pentagon confirms Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded; Iran leaderless
Pete Hegseth confirms: Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is wounded and likely disfigured, following US-Israeli strikes. Pentagon warns they “crumble” Iran.#Pentagon #Khemenei pic.twitter.com/IzAR0sMaCs– THE CHRONICLE (@lacronicacom) March 13, 2026
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that the new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei, is “wounded” and quite possibly “disfigured” after the attacks that killed his father at the start of the war launched by Washington and Israel against Iran.
“We know that the new supposed, not so supreme, leader is wounded and probably disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday, actually a pretty weak one, but there was no voice and there was no video,” the Pentagon chief told a news conference.
Hegseth assured that the new supreme leader “lacks legitimacy” and that he speaks of unity after “murdering tens of thousands of demonstrators”, in reference to the protests that began at the end of last year until before the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.
“Iran has cameras and tape recorders, why is it issuing a written statement? I think we know why,” said the Pentagon chief, who said that Khamenei is “afraid” and that much of his family, including his father and former supreme leader, has been killed in the attacks.
In his first message on Thursday as the new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei showed a defiant tone, called for keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, threatened U.S. bases in the Middle East and assured that the “blood of martyrs will be avenged”.
“The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed,” Iran’s new top political and religious authority stressed in a statement read by an anchorwoman on state television as an image of Iran’s flag and a photograph of the new leader was broadcast.
JD Vance says he is unaware of the seriousness of Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition.
JD Vance stated that Iran’s new supreme leader is injured, but does not know the seriousness of his condition https://t.co/knj8bkvsa5
– NotiPiedritas (@afraniopiedrita) March 14, 2026
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also said Friday that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei, was “wounded” by the U.S. and Israeli strikes, but he does not know how serious his condition is.
“The situation there is very chaotic. The Israelis are attacking and, of course, the U.S. is attacking various targets. So we know he’s wounded. We don’t know exactly how badly he’s wounded, but we know he’s wounded,” Vance told reporters in North Carolina.
The vice president made this comment hours after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed at a press conference that the new supreme leader was “wounded” and possibly “disfigured” in the bombings in which his father was killed.
In his statements to the press, Vance avoided pronouncing on the disagreements he had with Trump about starting a war with Iran.
“Part of what makes our national security team so cohesive is that we all trust each other and have a very free exchange of ideas,” he explained.
By Trump’s own admission, he and his vice president had a “philosophical difference” since Vance was “less enthusiastic” about attacking the Islamic Republic.
Asked about the bombing of the Minab girls’ school, in which some 180 people were killed and for which preliminary Pentagon reports hold the U.S. responsible, JD Vance asked to wait for the final conclusions of the investigation.
“We have to complete the investigation, right? Before we do anything, we have to have a good understanding of what happened. I don’t think we fully understand what happened. The president has made it clear that he wants a thorough investigation,” he said.
With information from EFE
