ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that "Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who there leader is," adding that there is an internal power struggle between "hardliners" and "moderates," the latter of whom he said are "not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!)."

Myriad top Iranian officials, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were killed during the US-Israeli military campaign that commenced in February, disrupting the balance of power in the Islamic Republic and positioning Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new figurehead of the Iranian government.

However, the junior Khamenei has yet to make a public appearance since his father's death, giving rise to speculation that he was severely wounded in the same strike and raising doubts regarding his effective control over the country's affairs.

"The infighting is between the 'Hardliners,' who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the 'Moderates,' who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

On April 1, Trump said that the US was talking to Iran's "new regime president" regarding the prospect of a ceasefire, which was later realized. No clarification was even given of whom the US president was referring to.

During the conflict with the US and Israel, the decentralized nature of Iran's defensive strategy reportedly gave rise to localized commands effectuating tactical decisions that were not necessarily in keeping with the central government's strategy at the time.

Indeed, rifts became apparent where media linked with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) criticized Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for announcing that the Strait of Hormuz was open for passage, with the measure swiftly being reversed as Tehran maintains a stranglehold on the economically vital waterway.

Mines in the Strait

"We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy," Trump said in the post on Truth Social on Thursday.

In an earlier post, Trump said he had ordered the Navy to “shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be,” that is placing mines in the waters of the strait.

He added that US mine-clearing operations were underway and had been ordered to continue “at a tripled up level.”

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, linking Gulf energy producers to global markets.

A Pentagon assessment, reported by the Washington Post on Wednesday, said it could take up to six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines once a clearance mission begins.

According to the report, the estimate was shared with members of the US House Armed Services Committee during a classified briefing.

Lawmakers were told Iran may have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, including some reportedly floated remotely using GPS technology, making them more difficult to locate and remove.

The Pentagon pushed back on the report, with spokesman Sean Parnell saying a six-month closure of the waterway was “an impossibility and completely unacceptable,” while adding that much of the reported information was false.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies normally pass, has remained largely restricted during a fragile ceasefire after conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned of a large maritime “danger zone” where mines may be present, while Iran’s parliament speaker said the waterway would not reopen as long as a US naval blockade remains in place.

Shipping firms have also warned that mine risks continue to disrupt commercial traffic.