President Donald Trump said Iran must “surrender” to bring an end to the ongoing war, while suggesting the country’s newly installed supreme leader may already be dead.

Speaking in a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said he has been hearing reports that Mojtaba Khamenei — who recently took power following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — may no longer be alive.

“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” Trump said.

The president acknowledged that the situation surrounding the Iranian leader remains unclear and said there has been no proof that Khamenei is still alive.

“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump said.

Speculation about the status of Iran’s new supreme leader has been growing in recent days as he has not appeared publicly since the escalation of the war between Iran, the United States, and Israel.

Trump also said that despite the intensifying conflict, Iran is attempting to open negotiations with Washington, but insisted the current terms being discussed are not acceptable.

“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)