On Tuesday, Donald Trump told reporters that 'nobody knows who is running Iran' as the war enters its eighth month, adding that Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly since his injury in the strike that killed his father on February 28.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesman, said on Sunday that Washington knows who is running Iran and how its decision‑making system works, and that the real problem lies in U.S. officials’ contradictory positions.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the U.S.–Israeli war on February 28, a strike that also injured his son, Mojtaba.
Since Khamenei’s death, Iran has struck Israeli and Gulf targets hosting U.S. bases, while Israeli attacks on Lebanon and U.S. strikes on Iran have killed thousands and displaced millions, inflating fuel prices amid a global war that threatens the U.S. midterm election climate.
With Trump’s approval rating at a record low due to soaring gasoline costs, the uncertainty over Iran’s leadership may shape Washington’s policy strategy, as officials prepare to clarify the situation in a forthcoming briefing.