U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced during a Friday Pentagon briefing that Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is severely wounded and operating in hiding. The assessment comes as the United States and Israel intensify a sustained military campaign against Iranian infrastructure. Hegseth confirmed that coalition forces have struck over 15,000 enemy targets since the conflict began on February 28, averaging more than 1,000 strikes per day.
Addressing reporters in Washington, Hegseth challenged the operational control and legitimacy of Khamenei, who was selected by the Assembly of Experts following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an initial wave of airstrikes. Noting that the new leader recently issued a written statement rather than a broadcast, Hegseth described Khamenei as “wounded and likely disfigured.”
“He is scared. He is injured. He is on the run,” Hegseth stated during the briefing. “They’ve gone underground. That’s what rats do.”
BREAKING: SecDef Pete Hegseth & Gen. Dan Caine at Pentagon briefing — America is CRUSHING the Iranian regime like NEVER before!
Missiles -90%, drones -95%, no air force, no navy, no defenses left. Supreme clown leader wounded & disfigured. Regime underground & crumbling.
We don’t… pic.twitter.com/czb8KVpIG1— The Little Satoshi News (@TheRiser100x) March 13, 2026
The military offensive, designated Operation Epic Fury by the United States, has severely degraded Tehran’s offensive capabilities. According to Defense Department metrics, Iran’s missile launch volume has dropped by 90 percent, and the deployment of one-way attack drones has fallen by 95 percent. Hegseth noted that Friday marked the highest single-day volume of U.S. strikes since the campaign began.
The unprecedented operational tempo across the Middle East continues to place extensive demands on U.S. military logistics. Separately, operations in the surrounding theater have sustained casualties outside of direct combat. Four military personnel died when a refueling plane crashed in neighboring Iraq.
Hegseth also addressed global concerns regarding the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for international oil supplies. Responding to reports of Iranian forces deploying naval mines in the waterway, the Defense Secretary stated there is currently no clear evidence of new mining operations. He affirmed that the U.S. military is actively monitoring the corridor and will not allow the shipping lane to remain contested.
The ongoing conflict represents a historic escalation from proxy warfare to open bombardment between the United States, Israel, and Iran. While Iranian state media previously characterized Mojtaba Khamenei as a lightly injured war veteran following the February 28 strikes, the latest U.S. intelligence suggests his incapacitation is significantly more severe.