War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and “likely disfigured” as the United States and Israel continue military operations against the Islamic Republic.
“Iran’s leadership is in no better shape,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing. “Desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground, cowering. That’s what rats do. We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured.”
Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed at the outset of the conflict, issued only a written statement Thursday. Hegseth pointed to that as a tell.
“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement?” Hegseth said. “His father dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know.”
Hegseth told reporters the U.S. “is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military” under Operation Epic Fury, the joint American-Israeli campaign that has drawn intense debate in Congress over war powers.
The operation survived a Senate challenge this week as Republicans closed ranks behind President Trump. Democrats largely opposed the action, with senior House GOP lawmakers expressing doubt that the minority party would support any additional military spending.
With Democrats unwilling to support a traditional supplemental funding bill, senior Republicans are now discussing a second budget reconciliation measure to finance the war effort and modernize the military long-term. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) called a funding package “inevitable” but noted the politics were uncertain.
Pfluger said any new spending would need to be offset with cuts elsewhere, pointing to fraud as a likely source of savings. He cited the Minnesota daycare scandal, in which billions of federal dollars were lost to fraudulent claims, as an example of waste that could fund defense priorities.
Iran’s new supreme leader has not made a public video appearance since the death of his father. U.S. and Israeli forces have continued operations across the region as Iranian proxies retaliate against allied targets.
Hegseth described the Iranian leadership situation as chaotic, saying the regime’s chain of command is unclear.
“It’s a mess for them,” he said.
