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Iranian officials are pushing back against reports questioning the condition of Mojtaba Khamenei, insisting the country’s supreme leader is healthy and actively leading, despite continued speculation following a deadly Israeli strike.

Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, rejected claims that Mojtaba Khamenei had been killed or was seriously ill. Speaking in an interview with India Today, Baghaei said the Iranian leader is in stable condition and functioning normally.

He added, “We are pleased that the regime is operating efficiently, our armed forces are acting according to Iran’s defense plans, and most importantly, our people are united in the face of these aggressive and brutal actions.”

Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed leadership after his father, was wounded during an Israeli airstrike targeting his father’s compound in February 2026. That attack killed multiple members of his immediate family, including his father, mother, wife, and daughter.

Days earlier, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also sought to dismiss concerns, stating that Mojtaba Khamenei is “in excellent health,” “fully in control of the situation,” and carrying out his responsibilities as expected. The same assurances were echoed by the state-affiliated Mehr News Agency.

Even so, questions persist. While several official statements have been released in Mojtaba Khamenei’s name since the strike, there has been no recent visual confirmation of his condition, and he has not been heard speaking publicly.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has indicated in recent conversations with close associates that he is aiming to avoid a drawn-out war with Iran and is working toward bringing the conflict to a close in the near future, according to a report published Wednesday.

As the fighting approaches the one-month mark, Trump has privately told advisers that he believes the campaign is nearing its conclusion. He has encouraged them to remain aligned with the four-to-six-week timeframe he has previously outlined publicly, people familiar with the discussions told The Wall Street Journal.

Officials at the White House have also been preparing for a mid-May meeting in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, operating under the assumption that the conflict with Iran will be resolved before that summit takes place, according to individuals briefed on the planning.

One source told The Wall Street Journal that Trump expressed concern that the war is pulling attention away from other key priorities on his agenda.

Another individual who recently spoke with the president said Trump appears eager to move on to his next major initiative, though he has not specified what that will be.

“President Trump is extraordinarily skilled at multi-tasking and works on multiple challenges at the same time,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The President is laser focused on fully achieving the military objectives against the terrorist Iranian regime. The president’s sole focus is always victory.”

According to the report, one proposal Trump has discussed with advisers involves securing U.S. access to portions of Iran’s oil resources as part of a potential agreement to end the conflict. A senior administration official said, however, that no formal planning is currently underway for such an arrangement.

While Trump has not ruled out deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, he remains hesitant to take that step, in part because it could prolong the war. Officials told The Wall Street Journal that he is also concerned that American casualties could rise if the conflict continues.

Earlier this week, Trump announced a temporary halt of five days on “any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure” in order to allow space for diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran. He added that the United States is in contact with “very solid” figures inside Iran.

Reports that followed suggested that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was involved in representing Iran in discussions with the U.S., though Ghalibaf publicly denied that any negotiations were taking place.

Speaking Wednesday night in Washington, Trump said he believes Iran is interested in reaching an agreement but is unwilling to acknowledge it openly.

“I’ve never seen anything like we’re doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it, because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people. They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us,” the President stated.

He added a pointed remark about Iran’s leadership, saying, “There’s never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran. We listen to some of the things they say, we hear them very clearly. They say, ‘I don’t want it, we’d like to make you the next supreme leader. No thank you, I don’t want it.'”

{Matzav.com}

The United States has crossed a significant threshold in its ongoing military campaign against Iran, with more than 10,000 strikes carried out since late February, according to a senior U.S. commander, as the conflict continues to intensify both on the battlefield and across global economic systems.

In an update posted Wednesday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads United States Central Command, said American forces reached the 10,000-strike mark nearly four weeks into Operation Epic Fury.

Cooper reported that U.S. operations have exceeded that number since the campaign began on Feb. 28, adding that forces remain “on plan or ahead of plan” in efforts aimed at dismantling Iran’s capacity to project power beyond its borders.

He said that sustained U.S. precision attacks have “overwhelmed Iranian air defenses,” created “tangible effects,” and significantly reduced Iran’s ability to target American forces and allied nations, noting that continued combat sorties are eroding Tehran’s offensive capabilities.

According to Cooper, U.S. strikes have crippled Iran’s naval strength, with roughly 92% of its largest vessels rendered inoperable. He also said that Iran’s use of drones and missiles has dropped by more than 90% following coordinated U.S. and allied operations.

He further stated that more than two-thirds of Iran’s facilities tied to missile, drone, and naval production—as well as key shipyards—have been hit or destroyed, while U.S. forces have maintained control of the skies and conducted over 10,000 combat flights throughout the campaign.

Cooper praised the role of long-range B-52 bombers and the involvement of more than 50,000 U.S. troops, saying they “embody the courage and resilience” of American service members.

Despite the scale of U.S. operations, Iran has continued launching retaliatory strikes, firing missiles and deploying drones at Israeli territory as well as U.S. and allied installations across the Middle East.

Several Iranian barrages have struck sites throughout Israel, including residential areas and civilian infrastructure. One such attack on March 1 resulted in the deaths of at least nine Israeli civilians.

Thousands of Israelis have been wounded in the attacks, with total injuries surpassing 4,000.

Iranian strikes have also reached U.S. bases and allied facilities in Gulf countries, with missiles crossing regional airspace and causing structural damage. In some instances, drone attacks have struck U.S. Embassy compounds, leading to minor damage.

By mid-March, U.S. officials reported that at least 13 American service members had been killed in the conflict, with approximately 232 wounded. More than 200 of those injured have since returned to duty.

Earlier casualty reports had placed the U.S. death toll at six, though subsequent updates reflected a higher number as the campaign progressed.

Beyond the battlefield, the conflict has sent shockwaves through global energy and shipping markets.

Following U.S. and Israeli strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued warnings that effectively shut down commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a steep drop in maritime activity.

At least a dozen commercial vessels sustained damage during the crisis, and one tugboat was sunk. Traffic through the strait initially declined by about 70% and, at times, came to a near standstill.

The disruption has affected roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supply, along with significant shipments of liquefied natural gas, forcing major shipping companies to halt operations or reroute along significantly longer paths.

Oil markets reacted sharply, with Brent crude prices climbing past $100 per barrel and reaching highs of approximately $126.

The dual impact of sustained military conflict and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up war-risk insurance premiums for shipping and contributed to broader economic strain, including supply chain disruptions, rising commodity costs, and increased inflation in energy-dependent economies.

While U.S. officials maintain that Operation Epic Fury is steadily weakening Iran’s military capabilities and limiting its ability to conduct external attacks, Tehran’s ongoing retaliation continues to cause casualties and damage to Israeli and American interests throughout the region.

At the same time, Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has underscored the far-reaching global consequences of the conflict, particularly in energy markets and international trade.

U.S. military leaders continue to express confidence that Iran’s offensive capacity is diminishing as American forces sustain air superiority and press forward with the campaign.

{Matzav.com}

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