Trump claims leadership change in Iran and says U.S. has weakened Iran’s air defenses

Donald Trump, in an interview with the Axios website, made a series of remarks about Iran’s political situation and leadership structure. He claimed that “Mojtaba Khamenei” is different from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and added that a form of “regime change” has taken place in Iran because, according to him, different individuals are now in power. The U.S. president also said: “We are now dealing with a group that is much less hardline than the previous two groups.” Trump further defended his administration’s record, stating that unlike Barack Obama’s administration, he had significantly damaged Iran’s air defense and air force capabilities, and had targeted several senior leaders in addition to Qasem Soleimani. He also claimed: “I killed the Ayatollah and unfortunately severely injured the other Ayatollah. I did not see him and did not speak to him, but people were talking about him. However, he has a certain courage because he was severely wounded.”