Adedokun Waliyu 
US President Donald Trump has said he believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is still alive, months after Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Iranian leader had been killed.
Speaking in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday, Trump said Khamenei was very seriously wounded but did not die in the attack.
“I don’t think he’s dead. He was very seriously wounded. The left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing.”
Trump and Netanyahu had previously claimed that Khamenei was killed during a major Israel-US attack on Iran in February.
At the time, Trump described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History” and declared that he was dead.
Netanyahu similarly announced that a strike had destroyed Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, saying there were indications that the Iranian leader was no longer alive.
The attacks triggered a major Iranian military response, with Tehran launching a barrage of missiles that sent civilians seeking shelter across several Middle Eastern cities.
Khamenei has reportedly not been seen publicly since the February attack, adding to speculation surrounding his condition and whereabouts.
Trump’s latest comments therefore represent a significant change from his earlier declaration that the Iranian leader had been killed.
