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The US Claim: “That’s What Rats Do”
On Friday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference delivering a stark assessment of Iran’s leadership following nearly two weeks of U.S.-Israeli strikes. Hegseth portrayed Iranian officials as severely weakened and in hiding.
“Iran’s leadership is in no better shape, desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground. That’s what rats do,” Hegseth said .
Hegseth also claimed that Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei—who succeeded his father after the February 28 strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—has been wounded and likely disfigured .
“We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday, a weak one actually, but there was no voice and there was no video,” Hegseth said . “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders, why a written statement? I think you know why. His father, dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them” .
🇮🇷 The Defiant Response: Leaders Take to the Streets
Hours after Hegseth’s remarks, the scene in Tehran told a dramatically different story. Thousands gathered for the annual Quds Day march, an event held in solidarity with Palestinians and in opposition to Israel .
Walking among the crowd—despite the very real risk of airstrikes—were Iran’s most senior officials:
- President Masoud Pezeshkian greeted supporters, stopped to take selfies, and moved through the crowd without a visible security entourage
- Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, marched openly and gave interviews to state TV
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, and national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan also participated
Huge explosions rocked central Tehran not far from where the demonstration was being held, state television reported. At least one woman was killed . Yet the officials pressed on.
Judiciary chief Mohseni Ejei was mid-interview when a strike occurred nearby. His bodyguards encircled him, but he raised his fist and declared: “Our people are not afraid of the bombing, we will continue along this route” .
Larijani dismissed the attacks as signs of weakness, telling state TV: “These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn’t bomb demonstrations at all. It’s clear that it has failed” .
President Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone toward President Trump, saying he “doesn’t understand that the Iranian people are a brave nation, a strong nation, a determined nation. The more he presses, the stronger the nation’s determination will become” .
The Escalating War of Words: “Epstein’s Island”
The clash between rhetoric and reality quickly moved to social media. Ali Larijani posted on X, directly addressing Hegseth with a devastating counterpunch.
“Mr. Hegseth! Our leaders have been, and still are, among the people. But your leaders? On Epstein’s island!” Larijani wrote, sharing videos of himself and President Pezeshkian greeting citizens on the streets of Tehran .
The reference to Jeffrey Epstein—the convicted sex offender whose connections to prominent political and business figures have fueled years of speculation—was a deliberately personal attack aimed at U.S. leadership .
Several prominent business and political leaders were named in Justice Department documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act last year. Democrats have questioned President Trump’s connection to Epstein, noting their past financial and personal ties. The president has repeatedly denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities .
The Wounded Supreme Leader
While other officials appeared in public, the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen since his appointment days ago .
On Thursday, Khamenei issued his first written statement, read on his behalf by state television. He vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and continue attacks on U.S. bases in Gulf countries, promising revenge for “the blood of martyrs” .
U.S. officials maintain he is seriously wounded. “He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run,” Hegseth insisted .
The Bigger Picture
The competing narratives reflect a war being fought on two fronts: one with bombs, and one with images.
The U.S. campaign has targeted more than 6,000 Iranian military assets, including strikes on Kharg Island—the terminal handling 90% of Iran’s oil exports . Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases across the region and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil passes .
More than 200 ships remain stuck on either side of the strait. Regional oil production has been cut by roughly 7 million barrels per day—around 7% of global output .
Yet analysts note that Iran’s definition of victory differs from the West’s. “All it takes for Iran to declare victory is the survival of the regime,” said author Kim Ghattas . If leaders can walk the streets, take selfies, and address crowds while bombs fall nearby, they are signaling exactly that survival.
The war continues, but for one day at least, the images from Tehran challenged the American narrative of a leadership in hiding. As Larijani’s post suggested, the battle for public perception may be as consequential as the military one.
