Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative Priority Summit in Miami on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s leadership had disintegrated and its military severely weakened by U.S. operations, while asserting that Tehran was "begging" to enter negotiations.
At the summit, Trump cited the February 28 strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and asserted that the country’s leadership framework had fallen apart, also casting doubt on the status of his son and purported successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being named to the position.
Trump said that Iran’s leadership had largely been eliminated, adding, "Their leaders are dead. Their Supreme Leader is no longer supreme either dead or in very bad shape, because no one has heard from him. I think he's saying, 'just keep me out of this.' It's the only country where no one wants to lead."
Tehran named Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader after Ali Khamenei’s death, but his absence has raised questions about Iran’s command. U.S. officials suggest he may be wounded, while Iranian forces reportedly lack clear central coordination. Iran’s U.N. envoy, Ali Bahreini, cited "security considerations" for his public absence.
"Anti-aircraft and communications capabilities are totally dismantled and dead. And their leaders are all dead, other than that they're doing quite well," Trump said, joking about the impact of U.S. operations.