President Donald Trump said Iran's leadership has been so depleted that no one knows who is running the country, as the US-Israeli war with Iran enters its eighth month."Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders are gone, and the biggest problem I have is nobody knows who the hell is running the country," Trump said. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war, which began on February 28. His son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him but has not been seen in public since being injured in the same strike.Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded that Washington knows its counterpart well. He said the real problem is "contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials."

The war has killed thousands and displaced millions, according to earlier reports. Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases in response. Rising fuel prices from the conflict pose a risk to Trump's Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections, with his approval rating at a record low.