The fate of Iran’s new supreme leader became a subject of intense speculation on Friday after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly stated that Mojtaba Khamenei had been wounded and likely disfigured in the ongoing strikes. Hegseth cited the leader’s failure to appear on video or audio as evidence, noting that his only recent communication was a written statement calling for unity. President Donald Trump, for his part, used more colorful language, calling Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” and declaring it a personal honor to be killing them.
Mojtaba Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader after Israel killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for 37 years. The elder Khamenei’s death in an Israeli strike set off the current war. His son issued a defiant statement on Thursday pledging continued resistance, but the absence of any voice or image attached to the statement was seized upon by US officials as proof of injury. Iranian state media separately broadcast images of other senior officials walking in Tehran’s streets and attending pro-government demonstrations.
The military campaign against Iran has been devastating in scale. US and Israeli forces have struck more than 15,000 targets combined since the war began, with Israel alone carrying out over 200 strikes in the most recent 24 hours. Trump announced that US Central Command had completely destroyed every military installation on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, in what he described as one of the most powerful bombing raids in Middle Eastern history. He warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continued to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict’s reach has extended throughout the Middle East, bringing violence to Lebanon, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Lebanon has recorded over 600 deaths and 800,000 displaced. Eight more died in an Israeli strike on Sidon. Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, wounding about 60. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones. Qatar issued Doha evacuation warnings before a missile interception. Two died in Oman in a drone attack. Dubai’s financial district sustained damage from intercepted debris.
Tehran residents described a city being steadily destroyed by bombing, with buildings shaking, rubble in streets, power cuts, and dwindling fuel. Iranian authorities report over 1,300 deaths in the country. The United States has lost 13 service members, including six in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq. France lost a soldier to an Iranian militia drone in Iraq. European governments have quietly opened diplomatic channels with Tehran, seeking safe passage for their ships through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s warnings about oil infrastructure strikes left global energy markets in a state of extreme uncertainty.