He also claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “90% gone” after he was injured in the attacks. Mojtaba, who is seen as a possible successor to his father, has not appeared in public since the attack and was absent from the funeral ceremonies.
In a conversation with Fox News, Donald Trump said, “Their entire military is gone, they have nothing, no navy, no air force, it is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their best leaders have been killed. (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei is gone. His son (Mojtaba Khamenei) is 90% gone.”
The US President also criticised The New York Times, saying the newspaper gave the impression that Iran’s situation had improved. He rejected that view and pointed to Iran’s economic problems. Trump claimed that inflation in the country had gone up to 350%, compared with 5% six months earlier.
The recent attacks also increased tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, as both sides are claiming control over the important waterway. Donald Trump has now said that the United States will take control of the Strait and added that the US should be paid back for protecting the route.
He said, “We had a deal, it was a done deal and they broke it. They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, we’re going to hit them, we’re going to hit them very hard and keep the Strait and probably run it. We will become guardian of the Strait, guardian angel of the Strait. We should be reimbursed because other nations are wealthy.”
Trump added the United States has protected the Strait of Hormuz for over 50 years without receiving any payment. He claimed that other countries benefited while the US handled its security. Trump added that the US is helping keep the waterway safe and believes they should be compensated.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump’s statement by saying that Iran has always been responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, he agreed that any country making sure the safe movement of ships through the Strait should receive payment. At the same time, he made it clear that Iran considers themselves as the long-time protector of the Strait. He also suggested that the amount mentioned by Trump was too high and said Iran will take a fair approach.
