President of the United States, Donald Trump, has claimed that Iran has lost its entire military leadership following ongoing bombardments by the United States and Israel.
According to reports, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed after his residence was struck on Saturday. Iranian media reportedly confirmed his death, stating that members of his family, including his daughter, grandchild, son-in-law and daughter-in-law, were also killed in the strike.
The Israeli military also announced the deaths of several top Iranian officials. Among those reportedly killed are Ali Shamkhani, described as a senior adviser to Khamenei, and General Mohammad Pakpour, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces said it had eliminated multiple high-ranking officials, including Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics; Mohammad Shirazi, Chief of the Military Bureau of the Supreme Leader; Hossein Jabal Amelian, Chairman of SPND; Reza Mozafari-Nia, former Chairman of SPND; Salah Asadi, Head of Intelligence of Khatem Alanbieh Command; and Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Trump said he believes the conflict could last “about four weeks.”
“An Iranian government that has long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a great danger to every American,” Trump said.
“We can’t let a country that builds terrorist groups have weapons strong enough to force the world to follow their bad plans. That’s not going to happen.”
He further claimed that Iran’s “whole military leadership is gone” and that many officials are seeking surrender.
“They want immunity. They’re calling by the thousands,” Trump added.
There has been no independent international verification of the full extent of the casualties and claims made by the parties involved as tensions continue to escalate in the region.
