Iran's new supreme leader wounded, likely disfigured, Hegseth says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and likely disfigured, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, questioning Khamenei's ability to govern after nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

No images have been released of Khamenei since an Israeli strike at the start of the war that killed much of his family, including his father and wife.

His first comments came in a statement read by a television presenter on Thursday. In the statement, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close U.S. bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.

"We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It ⁠was a written statement," Hegseth told a briefing.

"Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father - dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy."

Iran has said the new supreme leader was wounded. An Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that his injuries were light. On Friday, Iran's ambassador to Japan, Peyman Saadat, said Mojtaba Khamenei had not been "impaired."

"What we know is that he suffers from injuries of the current war, when my supreme leader was assassinated," Saadat told Asahi TV in an interview. "But not in a way that would prevent (the younger Khamenei) from functioning. He is a functioning leader. So nothing has been impaired, fortunately. That's why they elected the current leader."

Hegseth was joined by General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a briefing in which they emphasized U.S. military strikes to knock out Iran's missile and drone capabilities and its navy.

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During the briefing, Hegseth said the United States would show no ⁠mercy in the war.

"We will keep pressing, keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemy," Hegseth said.

"No quarter" is the refusal to spare the life of someone who has expressed their intention to surrender - something prohibited by law.

"International humanitarian law prohibits the use of this procedure, that is, ordering that there shall be no survivors, threatening the adversary therewith, or conducting hostilities on this basis," according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hegseth has moved to reshape the top ranks of the military justice system, replacing the judge advocates general for the Army, ⁠Navy and Air Force.

The United States has carried out strikes against more than 6,000 targets in Iran over the past 14 days. Almost two weeks of U.S.-Israeli bombings have killed around 2,000 people in Iran.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon was sending additional forces to the region, including the amphibious assault ship Tripoli along with its Marine expeditionary unit. The ⁠Tripoli, currently in the Asia-Pacific region, is capable of carrying fighter jets as well. In total, 2,500 additional Marines will be sent to the region, along with additional sailors.

The Pentagon has previously said additional troops would be heading to the region.

But despite the U.S. attacks on Iran, more Iranian drones were reported flying into Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, Bahrain ⁠and Oman.

Additionally, six U.S. service members were killed on Friday when a U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, in an incident the U.S. said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

Since the U.S. and Israel started carrying out strikes against Iran on February 28, 11 U.S. troops have been killed.