US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed that Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is reportedly wounded and possibly disfigured, noting that his recent statement was text-only, without audio or video.

Hegseth said, “Iran has enough cameras and recording tools, so why was there only a written statement? I think you understand the reason. He is afraid, injured, hiding, and stripped of legitimacy. There is total chaos. Who is really running the country? Even inside Iran, they may not know,” The Caspian Post reports via Russian media.