Key House Republican: We don’t know who’s in charge of Iran

Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said Thursday that the U.S. does not “really know who’s in charge” in Iran amid reports that the country’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was “wounded and likely disfigured” in the early days of the war.

“I think, so what we have is a fragmented leadership cadre,” Crawford said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”

“We don’t really know who’s in charge, but we do know that there are orders,” he continued.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to succeed his father as the country’s leader. The elder Khamenei was killed in targeted strikes on his compound on the first day of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation in late February.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since that March 8 announcement, instead releasing a statement days later that was read aloud on Iranian state TV.

Three Iranian officials told The New York Times on March 11 that Khamenei had suffered injuries to his legs, but that he was alert and sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified during a Senate hearing on worldwide threats Thursday that the supreme leader was “very severely” injured in an Israeli strike. A day earlier, she told senators Iran’s regime was “intact, but degraded.”

Israeli strikes have taken out several of Iran’s top military and political leaders, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, was also killed in an attack this week.

While Khamenei remains officially in charge of Iran’s armed forces and nuclear program, his public absence has left open questions about who is actually calling the shots, with some experts arguing power now belongs to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Crawford, one of the “Gang of Eight” lawmakers who oversee the intelligence community, told host Elizabeth Vargas on Thursday that Iran was experiencing “an identity crisis” in terms of leadership.

President Trump has consistently pushed for regime change since the war began, echoing calls he made earlier in the year as Tehran was orchestrating a bloody crackdown on civilian protestors.

Asked whether that push raised the possibility of American or Israeli boots on the ground, Crawford demurred.

“I think what we’ve seen is a total disruption of leadership in Iran. That could be what facilitates regime change,” he said.

“Do we need to go in there physically? Does Israel need to put boots on the ground? I don’t necessarily think that’s the case.”

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Senate GOP plows forward on SAVE America Act amid pressure from right

The Memo: Frustrated Trump struggles against perception that he’s losing ...

GOP Senate candidate on rising gas prices: ‘Maybe you take one less trip to ...

White House seeks to circumvent Schumer on potential DHS funding deal

Huckabee Sanders says she was asked to leave restaurant because employees felt ...

Obama’s former DHS secretary calls to end shutdown, pointing to Iran threat

Trump's push to abolish the Education Department reaches student loan portfolio

Jeffries says Democrats will oppose rule governing spy powers bill

The ghosts of Trump’s conspiracy theories have come back to haunt him 

Enabling this TSA feature could save you hours in airport security lines

6 governor races shift to Democrats: Election handicapper

Supreme Court revives Mississippi evangelist’s challenge to protest ...

TSA official: Airport security problem ‘going to get worse before it gets ...

GOP debate on SAVE America Act morphs into ‘circular firing squad’

Live updates: Senate settles in for weekend of votes, starting with DHS funding

Trump dubs NATO a ‘paper tiger’ over Strait of Hormuz 

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award goes to ‘the people of the Twin ...

Why Apple wants you to update your iPhone, iPad now

The Hill Podcasts – Morning Report

© The Hill