U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is dead, claiming that the Iranian leader was seriously wounded and suggesting Tehran would be putting on a "pretty good show" if reports of his death were true.
Speaking on the Glenn Beck programme, Trump said Khamenei had suffered serious injuries to the left side of his body, including his arm and leg, but maintained that he did not believe he had died.
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"I don't think Mojtaba Khamenei is dead. He was very seriously wounded, left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing was seriously wounded. But I don't think he is dead," Trump said.
Trump said the continued references to obtaining Khamenei's final approval for potential talks were among the reasons he believed the Iranian leader was still alive. He added that if Khamenei were dead, Iran was doing a convincing job of hiding it.
"If he is dead, they are putting on a pretty good show because they are talking about going back to talk to him all the time to get his final blessings," he added.
The president also reiterated his claim that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was working and said the strategic waterway was functioning, with oil shipments continuing to move through the region.
Trump also suggested that 22 ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous night and claimed that about 10 million barrels of oil had left the waterway the previous day. He said a large volume of oil was now flowing through the strait and argued that prices were coming down.
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Reuters reported on Tuesday that provisional Vortexa data showed oil transits through the strait at about 5 million barrels per day on Monday, well below the more than 20 million barrels per day recorded before the conflict.
Trump also said he would seek to prohibit Sharia law in the United States.
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