US President Donald Trump said that nobody knows who is running Iran amid the ongoing eight-month US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
“Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders are gone, and my biggest problem is nobody knows who the hell is running the country“, Trump said. His statement was quoted by Reuters.
His words prompted a response from Tehran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Washington knows very well who its counterpart is in Iran and how the country's decision-making system works.
“The problem is actually the opposite: it is rooted in the contradictory positions and mixed messages from American officials,“ the spokesman said at a press conference.
The question of Iran's leadership
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated on February 28, the first day of the war. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen as his successor, but he has not been seen in public since he was wounded in the same strike that killed his father.
This circumstance is the basis for Trump's claims that it is not clear who makes the decisions in Iran. At the same time, the Iranian Foreign Ministry insists that the state's decision-making system is functioning and is known to the American side.
Iran responded to the attacks with strikes against Israel and Gulf states where American bases are located. The US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
War increases pressure on Trump
The rise in fuel prices due to the war creates an additional political problem for the Republican Party ahead of the US midterm elections in November. The results will depend on which party controls Congress.
Reuters notes that Trump's popularity remains at a record low amid concerns about the high cost of living associated with the surge in gasoline and diesel prices. The American president has given changing deadlines and goals for ending the war.
Sources: bta.bg, whbl.com