Donald Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Report

Former US President Donald Trump reportedly blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei within the past 48 hours, according to a Reuters report citing two US officials.

A senior US administration official told the agency, “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.”

Amid rising hostilities between Iran and Israel, Trump had earlier issued a sharp warning to Tehran. In a post on Truth Social, he stated:

“If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US armed forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”

Despite his threat of military retaliation, Trump maintained that a diplomatic solution was still achievable.
“We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict,” he added.

Trump’s comments came after Iran warned the US, UK, and France that their military bases in the region would be targeted if they tried to block Iranian strikes on Israel.

On Sunday, Trump once again urged both Iran and Israel to “make a deal”, and claimed that his earlier interventions had brought peace between countries such as Serbia and Kosovo, and Egypt and Ethiopia — though, he said, he “never got credit” for those efforts.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment directly on the reported assassination veto, telling Fox News, “I am not going to get into that.” He did say, however, that Israeli strikes could potentially lead to regime change in Iran.

Ongoing Conflict

The Israel-Iran conflict has now entered its third day, with continued cross-border hostilities. Iranian media reported at least 128 deaths due to Israeli airstrikes, while a Washington-based human rights group placed the death toll at 406 in Iran, with 654 others injured.