U.S. says Iran leadership possibly injured as strikes intensify near Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Kane, that there is a strong possibility the new Iran leader is injured and his appearance damaged. The remarks come as Washington weighs the leadership question in Tehran amid ongoing conflict in the region.
The New York Times cited Iranian officials saying Mojtaba Khamenei, widely described as a potential successor to Iran’s supreme leader, was wounded in the first day of the U.S. and Israeli strikes, with injuries to his legs but remaining conscious. The paper noted that Mojtaba had issued a statement the previous day without audio or video, despite Iran’s access to cameras and recorded communications.
Hegseth questioned why Mojtaba would issue only a written statement if the leadership is visible through media channels, asking why there were no audio or video messages. He suggested the absence of direct communications raises questions about the leadership’s condition and legitimacy in Tehran.
When asked whether Iran had mined the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt the flow of global shipping, Hegseth said he had heard such claims but there is no clear evidence to confirm them at this time. He stressed that the United States would not allow the strait to remain in a state of military dispute or blocked supply lines.
On logistics, Hegseth described how the United States would approach merchant ship escort in a phased, prudent manner, rather than through abrupt or indefinite actions. He said the approach would be “in a rational way” and executed in stages.
Hegseth emphasized that today’s operations would be among the largest U.S. air and strike campaigns over Iran to date, noting that sorties and bombing counts would be about 20 percent higher than on the previous attack day. Kane, the Joint Chiefs chair, added that today would be the day when physical strikes in the operational area are most intense.
The updates come as the U.S. and its allies, including Israel, conduct high-intensity operations against Iran, raising questions about leadership continuity in Tehran, the potential for escalation in the Persian Gulf, and the reliability of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. For U.S. readers, the situation matters for energy markets, defense postures in the region, and global supply chains that depend on Gulf shipping and the stability of a volatile security environment. Context around Iran’s leadership, the strategic significance of Hormuz, and the scale of U.S. military activity in this campaign will influence markets, risk assessments, and policy considerations in Washington and beyond.