WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran’s top military commanders had been eliminated and claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was “90% gone.”
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened.
“They have no navy. They have no air force. It’s all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their leaders have all been killed,” Trump said.
“Their best leaders have been killed. They’re gone. Khomeini is gone,” he added, using the name of Iran’s late revolutionary leader while apparently referring to Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Trump also claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei, widely viewed as his father’s successor, was “90% gone.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is reported to be recovering from injuries sustained in the airstrike and did not attend funeral ceremonies for his father held in Iran and Iraq earlier this month.
Trump’s remarks came as the United States and Iran exchanged renewed strikes over the weekend. He also said Washington was reinstating a blockade on Iran and would require ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pay for safe passage.
Source: Saudi Gazette