Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "wounded and likely disfigured," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday morning.
Hegseth noted that Khamenei issued a written statement Thursday rather than a video or audio message. Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader less than two weeks after a U.S. operation killed his father, Ali Khamenei.
Hegseth claimed Iran's leadership is desperate and in hiding.
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"They've gone underground, like what rats do," Hegseth said. "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 no video. It was a written statement. He called for unity. Apparently killing tens of thousands of protesters is his idea of unity. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father is 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?"
In his first statement, Khamenei said Iran would continue to limit ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's ability to restrict ship traffic there has been blamed for a rapid increase in oil prices.
Khamenei also vowed vengeance.
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"I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs," he said. "The retaliation we have in mind is not limited only to the martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge."