Photo: OCTAVIO JONES / AFP / Getty Images
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Friday (March 13) that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "wounded and likely disfigured."
Speaking at a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth told reporters that Khamenei is hiding, "scared," and "on the run," and questioned the legitimacy of the new supreme leader's first public statement, which was issued in written form on Thursday (March 12) through Iranian state television.
"We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured," Hegseth said. "He put out a statement yesterday, a weak one actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. I think you know why."
Khamenei took over Iran's leadership following his father's death. He has not been seen or heard from publicly since the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began on February 28. In Thursday's statement, read aloud on state TV, Khamenei vowed to keep fighting, promised more pain for Gulf Arab states, and threatened to open "other fronts" in the conflict.
Hegseth announced Friday would bring the highest volume of U.S. strikes against Iranian targets since the war began. He said more than 15,000 enemy targets have been struck — more than 1,000 per day — since the war started. Iran's missile volume is down 90%, he said, and one-way attack drones were down 95% the day prior.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran's combat power has continued to decline and its navy has been rendered "ineffective," though Iran still retains the capability to harm friendly forces and commercial shipping.\
In Tehran, a large explosion struck the area near Ferdowsi Square on Friday during the annual Quds Day demonstrations, with video showing smoke rising as crowds chanted "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!" The Israeli military issued warnings in Farsi before the blast and suggested the strike came from its forces, though it did not immediately claim direct responsibility.
Hegseth said ending Iran's nuclear weapons program remains a "core mission," and that President Trump is focused on permanently eliminating Iran's ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. He would not say whether ground forces would be needed to secure Iran's enriched uranium stockpile or its nuclear facilities, but said a range of options is being considered.
On the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world's oil passes, Hegseth said the U.S. is "dealing with" Iran's disruptions and called Iran's actions there "sheer desperation." He said the only thing blocking traffic in the strait is Iran, and that the U.S. will not allow it to remain "contested."