Washington DC, March 13 -- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday claimed that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, is "wounded and likely disfigured" in strikes by the US on the country, describing the new leadership in Tehran as "desperate and hiding" amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

Speaking alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, during a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth stated that the new leadership was in "no better shape" and questioned the recent statement by the Supreme Leader for its legitimacy, calling it "weak" and unusual for a country with extensive media and surveillance capabilities.

"Iran's leadership is in no better shape -- desperate and hiding, t...