Trump says unclear if new Iran leader is 'dead or not'

AFP , Monday 16 Mar 2026

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he does not know whether Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still alive, adding that Washington was unclear whom it could negotiate with in Tehran.

House
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House. AP

 

"We don't know... if he's dead or not," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"A lot of people are saying that he's badly disfigured. They're saying that he lost his leg -- one leg -- and he's, you know, been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he's dead. Nobody's saying he's 100 per cent healthy. You know he hasn't spoken."

"We don't know who we're dealing with" in Iran, Trump said. "We don't know who their leader is."

Trump stepped up the pressure on Britain and France on Monday, saying he expected them to help secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the war against Iran.

Trump said he had talked with French President Emmanuel Macron about it, and his response had been "an eight, not perfect."

"I think he's going to help," Trump said, adding that he also believed Britain would be involved in a Hormuz mission.

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