Rumors about the health of Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, are mounting, as his physical absence from public appearances has fueled speculation that he may have been seriously injured. Some unconfirmed reports even suggest that he may have had limbs amputated, although there has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities.

The speculation was fueled by a statement from US President Donald Trump, who spoke about the matter in an interview with Fox News' "The Brian Kilmeade Show," which is set to air on Friday. "I think he probably is. I think he's damaged, but I think he's probably alive in some way," Trump said. His comments came after Khamenei issued his first message as supreme leader on Thursday, in text form, warning that Iran would not back down from confronting the US and Israel.

“We will not hesitate to avenge the blood of your martyrs,” the statement carried by Iranian state media said. Reports of his injury came after, according to some sources, his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in an attack in Tehran on February 28 amid escalating tensions with the US and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since.

In his interview, Trump also spoke about tensions in the region and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil shipping route where maritime traffic has faced disruptions. The president said ships passing through the strait should show courage, adding that Iran no longer poses the maritime threat it once did.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. They don't have a navy and we sank all their ships," Trump said. The US president also warned about Iran's ambitions in the region, claiming that the country had deployed thousands of missiles towards Middle Eastern states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. According to him, these countries once had reason to fear Iran, but the situation has now changed after US actions in the region.