"Who Is In Charge?" Pentagon Chief Believes New Iran Leader "Disfigured"

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been "wounded and likely disfigured" in US-Israeli strikes. 

At a news briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said, "We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured."

He questioned why Khamenei's first address as Supreme Leader did not have a voice or video. "He put out a statement yesterday, a weak one actually, but there was no voice and there was no video," Hegseth said.

"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. It's a mess for them," he added.

"Who is in charge? Iran may not even know", Hegseth said.

Read | Iran War "Could Last 8 Weeks", Pete Hegseth Says US "Can't Stop Everything"

The briefing follows an announcement by the USS Central Command claiming that at least four US service members died after a refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq.

During the briefing, Hegseth also claimed that Iran's military capabilities have been weakened after US-Israeli strikes.

Hegseth said that the US and Israeli forces have struck 15,000 enemy targets.

"Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one-way attack drones yesterday down 95% and as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we're dealing with," he said.

Read | Pete Hegseth: The Pentagon Chief Leading Trump's Iran Strategy

Hegseth, a 45-year-old former Fox News co-host, criticised the media this week for highlighting negative developments in the war, claiming that "the fake news misses" the overall picture of US success.

The war is the fifth major international US military intervention under Hegseth, following strikes on Yemeni rebels, an operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites, attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats, and a raid to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Mojtaba Khamenei's First Address

Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first statement since his appointment, said that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as leverage against the US and that the attacks on Middle East neighbours will continue.

Khamenei's statement was read on state television on Thursday by a news anchor, and he did not appear on camera.

He said that Iran will never retreat and will resist with "full force" and will avenge not just the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but every citizen who lost their life in the war.