Trump Claims Iran's Military Leadership 'Wiped Out', Says Mojtaba Khamenei '90% Gone'

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran's senior military leadership had been "wiped out", alleging that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was "90% gone" following recent military operations.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Iran's military capabilities had been largely destroyed.

"They have no navy. They have no air force. It's all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their leaders have all been killed," he said.

"Their best leaders have been killed. They're gone. Khamenei is gone," he said.

Without providing evidence, Trump further alleged that Mojtaba Khamenei, widely viewed as his father's likely successor, had been critically wounded.

"Mojtaba Khamenei is 90% gone," he said.

The remarks came after fresh exchanges of missile strikes between the US and Iran over the weekend, intensifying fears of a broader regional conflict.

Trump also announced that the US would reimpose what he described as an "Iranian blockade" in the Strait of Hormuz and require commercial vessels using the strategic waterway to pay for US protection.

In a post on Truth Social, he said the US military would serve as the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait."

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE... All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump wrote.

He proposed charging countries using the route a 20% fee based on the value of cargo transported through the strait to reimburse the US for protecting maritime traffic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the proposal, saying Iran has always safeguarded the waterway.

"Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. Twenty per cent is, of course, too much. We will be fair," Araghchi wrote on social media.

The latest exchange underscores the deepening confrontation between Washington and Tehran over control and security of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route.