Trump says nobody knows who is running Iran

US President Donald Trump expressed confusion over who was in charge of Iran during the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel, which has lasted for eight months. Trump noted that both the original leaders and a second-tier group had vanished without leaving clear successors.

Iran's foreign ministry argued that Washington fully understood the identity of their counterpart in Iran and how the decision-making process operates there. The issue, however, lies not with lack of knowledge, but rather with conflicting statements and messaging from U.S. officials, according to Iran's spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, inherited the position but has not been seen in public since suffering an injury in the same strike that claimed his father's life. In response to the war, Iran launched its own retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf states housing U.S. military bases.

These military actions have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions. Rising fuel prices, a direct consequence of the conflict, pose a threat to Trump's Republican Party as they approach the November midterm elections, a time when the control of Congress is pivotal. The U.S. leader's approval rating has hit a record low due to worries about the escalating cost of living, particularly the surge in gasoline and diesel prices.