Trump made the remarks on October 6, 2026, as the war, which began on February 28, entered its eighth month.
“Their leaders are dead, and the second group of leaders is dead. My biggest problem is that nobody knows who is running that country,” Trump said.
His comments came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday that the United States knows exactly whom it is communicating with in Iran regarding certain decisions and understands how the country’s leadership structure is organized.
Baghaei said the problem was instead on the U.S. side, where officials have been issuing contradictory messages and decisions as part of efforts to end the war in Iran.
“The problem is on the other side. It stems from contradictory decisions and inconsistent messages being issued by U.S. officials,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a strike on the first day of the war, in an attack that also killed several other senior Iranian officials. The United States has continued targeting additional Iranian leaders during the conflict.
Khamenei was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking over. He was reportedly also injured in the strike that killed his father.
Iran has responded to the attacks with strikes against Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases.
U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, together with Israeli strikes in Lebanon, have killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
The war has also driven up fuel and diesel prices, developments that could have political consequences for Trump’s Republican Party in the November elections, which will determine which party controls the U.S. Congress.
