Trump Says Iran’s New Leader Might Already Be Dead

President Donald Trump cast doubt Saturday on whether Iran’s newly installed supreme leader is still breathing, demanding his surrender if he somehow survived weeks of U.S.-Israeli bombardment.

“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump told NBC News during a nearly 30-minute phone interview. “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.” Trump acknowledged the claim remained unconfirmed, calling it “a rumor.”

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, assumed power after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. A state TV anchor read his first public remarks aloud Thursday. No video or audio of Khamenei accompanied the message. (RELATED: Trump Announces Military Strikes On Iran’s Main Crude Export Terminal)

War Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a blunt assessment during a Pentagon briefing Friday, according to Reuters. “We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” Hegseth told reporters.

Hegseth pointed to the absence of any visual proof of life as evidence of the regime’s weakness. “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy.”

Iran’s new supreme leader wounded, likely disfigured, Hegseth says https://t.co/w3Swaj7vZz https://t.co/w3Swaj7vZz

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 13, 2026

Tehran pushed back on those claims. Iran’s ambassador to Japan, Peyman Saadat, told Asahi TV that Khamenei suffered war injuries but could still function as leader, Reuters reported. An Iranian official separately told the wire service earlier in the week that his wounds were minor.

Trump also told G7 leaders during a virtual call Wednesday that Khamenei “is not in good shape” and that no one in Iran could formally offer a surrender, Axios reported.

Beyond the leadership question, Trump told NBC News that American forces had “totally demolished” Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil export hub, and threatened further attacks. “We may hit it a few more times just for fun,” the president said, though he noted the military spared the island’s energy infrastructure.

President Trump also rejected a ceasefire, saying Iran’s proposed terms fell short, waved off worries about climbing gas prices, and took aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Zelenskyy is far more difficult to make a deal with” than Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said.