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  "path": "/politics/us/donald-trump-iran-new-ayatollah-not-alive-tehran-surrender",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-15T03:16:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "appointed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader",
    "\"wounded and likely disfigured\"",
    "Britain weighs deploying thousands of drones to Middle East to combat ‘axis of aggression’",
    "Donald Trump calls on Britain to send warships to Iran as US bombing raid continues",
    "HMS Dragon 'bobbed around in Channel for 3 days' after deployment to Cyprus",
    "“not happy”",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nDonald Trump has said he is hearing that Iran’s new Ayatollah is \"not alive\" as Tehran is told it must surrender.\n\nThe claim comes as rumours swirl about the health of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader just days ago.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Iranian leader has not been seen in public since the airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei.\n\nDuring an interview with NBC, the US President said: “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nHe added: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him.\"\n\nMr Trump also revealed that the Islamic Republic is attempting to enter into negotiations to bring the conflict to an end.\n\n“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,\" he said.\n\nHis remarks come after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the new Ayatollah was \"wounded and likely disfigured\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe also blasted a written statement - which the Islamic Republic claimed was from Mr Khamenei - as a \"weak one\".\n\nThe War Secretary said: “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement?\n\n\"I think you know why. His father: dead; he’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy.\"\n\nDespite rumours that the Supreme Leader is severely injured or dead, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, insisted on Saturday there was \"no problem\" with him.\n\n### IRAN - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Britain weighs deploying thousands of drones to Middle East to combat ‘axis of aggression’\n  * Donald Trump calls on Britain to send warships to Iran as US bombing raid continues\n  * HMS Dragon 'bobbed around in Channel for 3 days' after deployment to Cyprus\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe claimed Mr Khamenei \"sent his message yesterday, and he will perform his duties\".\n\nAfter his appointment by Iran’s \"Assembly of Experts\", Mr Trump said he was “not happy” with the move and that the Islamic Republic had made a “big mistake”.\n\nThe President said at the time: \"We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.\"\n\nMr Trump has previously insisted that any future leader of the Middle Eastern country would need the \"approval\" of the US.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWhen asked whether there was a candidate he would prefer to become the next Supreme Leader, he said: “We have people that are living that would be great leaders for the future of the country.”\n\nDespite never holding a formal position within his father’s regime, it is widely believed Mr Khamenei wielded significant influence within the Islamic Republic’s political and security circles before his appointment.\n\nHe was also reportedly identified by insiders as a potential target for a US strike in the days leading up to the war.\n\nIn January, a Bloomberg investigation linked the 56-year-old to an offshore financial network used to hold and move assets outside Iran.\n\nThe reported holdings included high-value real estate in London and Dubai, though many of the assets are said to have been sold or restructured following the investigation.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Donald Trump ‘hearing’ Iran’s new Ayatollah is ‘not alive’ as Tehran urged to surrender"
}