As "death rumors" swirl around Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public, U.S. President Donald Trump moved to pressure Iran to surrender.
In a phone interview with NBC on the 14th, local time, Trump said, "I don't even know if he (Mojtaba) is alive. No one has been able to show him so far," adding, "I heard he is not alive, but if he is alive, he must make a wise choice for the country. And that is surrender."
However, Trump drew a line on the death rumors themselves, calling them a "rumor." Mojtaba is reported to have been seriously injured in airstrikes by Israel and the United States. Earlier, Iran's ambassador to Cyprus said in an interview with the Guardian that "Mojtaba was with Khamenei when he died, and I heard he suffered injuries to his leg, hand, and arm."
U.S. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth also held a briefing the previous day with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chair Dan Caine, saying, "We understand there is a strong possibility that the newly emerged so-called supreme leader was injured and is in a disfigured state."
The Iranian side says there is no major issue with Mojtaba's safety. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a video interview with MS Now the same day, said, "There is no problem with the new supreme leader," adding, "He issued a statement yesterday and is performing his duties under the constitution," dismissing the injury rumors.
Meanwhile, Trump said, "Iran wants a deal, but it seems they don't want to do so because the terms are not sufficient yet," and, regarding Kharg Island, Iran's oil export hub that U.S. forces bombed, added, "We could hit it a few more times for fun."