Secretary of War Pete Hegseth went for the jugular in Iran’s leadership by calling its new head a “not so supreme leader.”
That’s what Hegseth called Mojtaba Khamenei Friday, adding he “lacks legitimacy.
Hegseth was responding to Khamenei’s statement Thursday when he announced the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the war is over.
He also told Gulf neighbors U.S. military bases need to be removed from their countries.
“Iran’s leadership is in no better shape. Desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground, cowering. That’s what rats do. We know the new so-called not so supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing.
“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 continued.
“He called for unity, apparently killing tens of thousands of protesters is his kind of unity. 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,” Hegseth added.
Hegseth also announced “today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran.”
“The number of sorties, the number of bomber pulses, the highest yet, ramping up and only up,” he said.
“Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no navy,” Hegseth said earlier. “Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one way attack drones yesterday, down 95%.”
“And as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz. It’s something we’re dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it. We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before,” Hegseth also said.
