We'll see what happens with them.
Em meio a uma guerra que remodela o Oriente Médio, Donald Trump afirmou, de dentro de uma fábrica em Ohio, que os Estados Unidos eliminaram a liderança iraniana duas vezes — uma declaração que ecoa séculos de impérios que acreditaram poder ditar a sucessão de seus adversários. O novo líder supremo do Irã, Mojtaba Khamenei, escolhido como ato de desafio após a morte de seu pai Ali Khamenei em 28 de fevereiro, teria sido ferido nos mesmos ataques que mataram seu predecessor. A história registra que o poder raramente se rende apenas porque uma liderança é eliminada — e o silêncio público de Mojtaba, combinado com as ameaças abertas de Israel e dos EUA, sugere que o próximo capítulo ainda está por ser escrito.
- Trump declarou publicamente que forças americanas neutralizaram a liderança iraniana duas vezes e dominaram todos os fronts militares do país — uma afirmação sem precedentes feita em tom quase casual.
- Mojtaba Khamenei, empossado após a morte de seu pai em ataques conjuntos EUA-Israel, teria sofrido ferimentos nas duas pernas na mesma ofensiva — e não apareceu publicamente desde o início da guerra.
- O governo iraniano insiste que o novo líder está 'são e salvo', mas a televisão estatal e instituições religiosas ligadas ao regime já o chamaram de 'veterano ferido de guerra', contradizendo a narrativa oficial.
- Israel avisou que qualquer líder escolhido pelo atual governo iraniano será 'alvo inequívoco de eliminação'; Trump previu que Mojtaba 'não durará muito' sem aprovação americana.
- A escolha de um líder linha-dura pelo Conselho de Especialistas foi lida como desafio direto às preferências de Washington — mas o novo líder já está ferido, isolado e marcado antes mesmo de consolidar seu poder.
Na quarta-feira, Donald Trump fez uma afirmação contundente durante visita a uma fábrica em Ohio: os Estados Unidos eliminaram a liderança do Irã não uma, mas duas vezes. Sem citar nomes ou detalhes, ele declarou que as forças americanas neutralizaram a marinha e as forças armadas iranianas em todas as frentes, e que um novo grupo estava assumindo o poder. "Vamos ver o que acontece com eles", disse, com a serenidade de quem acredita controlar o tabuleiro.
Horas antes, a Reuters havia revelado algo que o governo iraniano tentava administrar com dificuldade: Mojtaba Khamenei, o novo líder supremo, teria sido ferido nas duas pernas nos ataques de 28 de fevereiro — o mesmo dia em que seu pai, Ali Khamenei, foi morto em uma ofensiva coordenada entre EUA e Israel. Desde então, Mojtaba não apareceu em público.
O governo iraniano insistiu que ele estava "são e salvo". Mas os sinais contraditórios se acumulavam: a televisão estatal o chamou de "veterano ferido de guerra", e o Komiteh Emdad, instituição religiosa ligada ao regime, usou o termo persa "janbaz jang" — literalmente, veterano ferido em combate — ao parabenizá-lo pela eleição. A escolha de Mojtaba, um linha-dura, pelo Conselho de Especialistas foi amplamente interpretada como um ato de desafio à preferência declarada de Washington por uma liderança mais conciliadora.
A ameaça, porém, já estava explícita. O ministro da Defesa israelense, Israel Katz, havia declarado que qualquer líder escolhido pelo atual governo iraniano seria "alvo inequívoco de eliminação". Trump reforçou a mensagem à sua maneira, prevendo que Mojtaba "não durará muito" sem aprovação americana. A sucessão aconteceu — mas o novo líder já chega ao cargo ferido, isolado e marcado. Se essa escolha levará à escalada ou ao colapso, ainda está por ser visto.
Donald Trump stood in an Ohio factory on Wednesday and made a stark claim about the war unfolding in Iran. The United States, he said, had eliminated the country's leadership not once but twice. He offered no names, no specifics—just the bare assertion that American forces had neutralized Iran's navy and armed forces across every front, and that a new group was now stepping in to fill the void. "We'll see what happens with them," he added, with the tone of a man watching a chess match play out according to his design.
The timing of his remarks was deliberate, whether intentionally or not. Hours earlier, Reuters had reported something the Iranian government was still trying to manage: Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly installed supreme leader, had been wounded in the opening salvos of this conflict. The injury came on February 28, the same day his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a coordinated strike by American and Israeli forces. According to an Israeli official who spoke to Reuters, Mojtaba sustained damage to both legs in the bombardment. Since the war began, he has not appeared in public.
Iran's official response was to insist that Mojtaba was "safe and sound." The 56-year-old son of the former supreme leader had been chosen by the Assembly of Experts—the council of senior clerics who select Iran's top leader—in what many observers read as a deliberate rebuff to Trump's stated preference for a leader more amenable to American and Israeli interests. Mojtaba, by contrast, is considered a hardliner. The choice signaled defiance. Yet the evidence of his injury kept surfacing in ways the government could not fully suppress. State television referred to him as a "wounded war veteran." The Komiteh Emdad, a powerful religious institution tied to the government, used the Persian term "janbaz jang"—literally, a war-wounded veteran—when congratulating him on his election.
Trump's confidence that American military operations were running ahead of schedule added another layer to the moment. He had previously suggested the war might last four to five weeks. His Wednesday comments implied the outcome was already taking shape, that the machinery of American power had done what it was designed to do, and that what came next was simply a matter of watching the new Iranian leadership respond—or fail to respond—to the reality on the ground.
But the threat was already explicit. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, had stated days earlier that any leader chosen by Iran's current government would be "an unambiguous target for elimination." Trump echoed the sentiment in his own way, predicting that Mojtaba "won't last long" without American approval. The message was clear: the succession had happened, but the war was far from over. The new supreme leader was already wounded, already isolated, and already marked. What remained to be seen was whether Iran's hardline choice would lead to escalation or collapse.
Citas Notables
We deposed their leadership twice. Now there's a new group taking over. We'll see what happens with them.— Donald Trump, March 11, 2026
Any leader named by the current Iranian leadership will be an unambiguous target for elimination.— Israel Katz, Israeli Defense Minister
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Trump keep saying the leadership was eliminated twice? Isn't that just one succession?
He's counting Ali Khamenei's death as the first elimination, and then treating Mojtaba's ascension as a second leadership structure that the US is now targeting. It's a way of saying the entire chain of command has been disrupted.
But Mojtaba is still alive, just wounded. Doesn't that undercut the claim?
It does, which is probably why Trump was vague about it. The injury reports complicate the narrative of total victory. A wounded leader is still a leader—he can still make decisions, still command loyalty.
Why would Iran choose a hardliner if they knew he'd be a target?
Because backing down—choosing someone Trump approved of—would have meant accepting American dominance over their succession. The hardline choice was defiance, even if it came at a cost.
What does "won't last long without US approval" actually mean?
It's a threat dressed as prediction. Trump is saying the US reserves the right to remove him too, just as it removed his father. It's a way of asserting that American power, not Iranian choice, determines who leads.
Is there any scenario where this ends without more escalation?
Not that the current statements suggest. Both sides are locked into a logic where each move is read as a provocation requiring response. The wounded new leader is particularly vulnerable—he has to prove strength while recovering from injury.