Trump Rejects Iran Deal, Questions New Supreme Leader's Survival

In a televised interview, former U.S. President Donald Trump declared he is unwilling to negotiate a deal with Iran, citing unacceptable terms. He also publicly cast doubt on whether the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is even alive.

"Iran wants to make a deal, I don't want to make it because the terms are not good enough," Trump stated. He emphasized that any potential agreement would need to be "very reliable," but refused to elaborate on specific conditions for ending hostilities. He did concur that a core component would be Iran's complete renunciation of all nuclear ambitions.

The interview took a more controversial turn when Trump questioned the status of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected as Supreme Leader earlier this week following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in initial U.S. And Israeli strikes on Tehran.

"I don't know if he's alive at all. So far no one has been able to show him. I've heard he is not alive. If that's not the case, then he should do something very smart for his country, namely surrender," the former president said.

These comments follow conflicting reports from U.S. And Iranian officials regarding Mojtaba Khamenei's condition. On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that Washington believes the younger Khamenei is "wounded and likely disfigured." The previous day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei asserted that while Mojtaba was injured, he is "doing fine."