Reactions and statements from the international community
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that four out of the six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling aircraft died following a crash in Iraq.
CENTCOM released footage showing the destruction of a decommissioned MiG-23BN fighter jet at the 3rd Tactical Fighter Base in Dezful, Iran, by a U.S. Air Force MQ-9A drone; the aircraft had defected to Iran in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm and was intended for display at the Iranian Air Force Museum in Tehran.
Based on information received by Iran International, the physical condition of Mojtaba Khamenei and his inability to communicate with officials and relevant institutions have sparked critical reactions among ruling clerics, with figures like Ali Asghar Hejazi and Alireza Arafi calling for the return of the Leader's powers to the Temporary Leadership Council.
In an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, March 12, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Mojtaba Khamenei is "somehow alive" but "damaged," and criticized Iranian officials for their claims about the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic, saying they need to "prove it."
On December 14, 2025, high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic regime, excluding the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, participated in the Iranian Jerusalem Day event in Tehran, feeling protected by a human shield formed by supporters.
Around 10 a.m. on an unspecified date, a base affiliated with the IRGC in Robat Karim, Iran, was targeted in an attack that caused severe ground and pavement damage within a 500-meter radius due to intense explosions.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been injured since assuming leadership on March 8 following the death of Ali Khamenei; Iranian officials confirmed the injury but provided no additional details.
President Donald Trump of the United States stated that the U.S. will escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary and warned that Washington will deliver a "very hard blow" to the Islamic Republic in the coming week.
The US Secretary of Defense stated that Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been "wounded" and "scared," with Peter Hegseth claiming Khamenei is "on the run" and lacks legitimacy due to the absence of video or audio evidence of him.
The U.S. State Department has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” group, accusing it of receiving support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This designation follows similar bans on the group by several Arab nations.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded twice in separate attacks: first during the February 28 attack that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, and then again when the hospital treating him came under fire. Iranian television has ceased broadcasting following a strike on a transmission tower in northern Tehran the previous night.
An Iranian parliamentarian from Jahrom, Mohammad Reza Rezaei Kochi, stated that Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic Republic, has survived two recent assassination attempts, one at the leader's residence and another at an unnamed hospital, which he claims were failed operations by the United States and Israel.
