Trump says nobody knows who is running Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on ‌Tuesday (October 6, 2026) that nobody knew who was running Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, ⁠now in its eighth month.

“Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders is gone, and ‌the biggest problem I have is nobody knows who the hell is running ‌the country,” Mr. Trump said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry ‌spokesman ⁠said on Sunday (October 4, 2026) Washington knows very well ⁠who its counterpart is in Iran and how the decision-making system in Iran works.

“The problem is actually the opposite: it lies in ‌the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials,” Esmaeil Baghaei said in a news conference.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed ‌on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him ⁠but has not been seen in public since he was injured in the same strike that killed ‌his father.

U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.

Fuel prices that have risen in ‌response to the war are also a risk to Mr. Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections in which control of Congress ⁠is at stake.

Mr. Trump, whose approval rating has ⁠held at a record low amid concerns of high cost of living spurred by ‌soaring gasoline and diesel prices, has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war.

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