Conflict & Security
Khamenei alive but seriously wounded, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believes Iran's supreme leader Khamenei remains alive but was “very seriously wounded.”
“I don't think he's dead,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck. “He was very seriously wounded. The left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing. He was very seriously wounded. But I don't think he's dead.”
Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over after his father's killing in February. Officially, he continues to lead Iran while the country is under US and Israeli attack.
Trump also said military and economic pressure on Iran was working. “Those things are going toward a very big victory,” he said.
He claimed the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's military has disrupted and largely blocked shipping, was open. “The mines are gone,” Trump said.
Trump also said the United States could not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon and claimed he had already “stopped it twice.”
Update
Trump claimed military and economic pressure on Iran was moving toward a victory.
Trump claimed the Strait of Hormuz was open and that mines were gone.
Trump said the United States could not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon and claimed he had already stopped it twice.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 13:47:12 UTC.
Update
Trump said Khamenei was very seriously wounded on the left side of his body, including his arm and leg.
Trump made the comments in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.
The item says Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over after his father's killing in February.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 13:25:11 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Khamenei's current condition and level of control were not independently confirmed in the supplied item.
Trump's claims about the Strait of Hormuz and mines were not independently verified in the supplied item.
Source
AFP news report published on .