US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has made a scathing attack on Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, claiming he is 'wounded and likely disfigured.'
Hegseth made the comments on Friday, a day after Khamenei issued a written statement vowing to continue the war.
He questioned why Khamenei had not appeared in a video or given a voice statement, suggesting that the new leader was 'scared' and 'injured.'
Hegseth also criticised Khamenei's message, saying that calling for unity while killing tens of thousands of protesters was 'his kind of unity.'
The US war secretary also revealed that the Iranian leadership sees the US and Israel as closely aligned against it, calling it 'the evil regime's worst nightmare.'
The comments came a day after Khamenei released a written message pledging to continue the war amid escalating tensions in the region.
