Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan To Assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei: Report
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According to the officials, Israeli authorities informed Washington that they had an opportunity to eliminate the top Iranian leader. However, Trump rejected the idea
US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent days, two US officials told news agency Reuters on Sunday.
According to the officials, Israeli authorities informed Washington that they had an opportunity to eliminate the top Iranian leader. However, Trump rejected the idea.
'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," one of the officials, a senior member of the Trump administration, was quoted as saying.
While the officials did not confirm whether Trump personally communicated the decision, they said he has been in frequent contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent weeks.
Asked about the report in a Fox News interview on Sunday, Netanyahu did not confirm or deny the claim. 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that," he said. 'But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States."
Trump, meanwhile, has said he believes a peace deal between Iran and Israel is possible — and even claimed credit for past peace efforts, including a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
In a post on Truth Social earlier today, Trump wrote, 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make… by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks."
This comes amid escalating violence between Israel and Iran. Israel launched major strikes on Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear and military infrastructure. Iran retaliated with missile attacks, some of which hit civilian buildings in Tel Aviv.
As the conflict continues into its third day, there is growing concern that the fighting could spread across the Middle East, with world leaders calling for calm. Talks between the US and Iran that were scheduled in Oman on Sunday were cancelled in the wake of the strikes.
(With inputs from Reuters)
First Published:
June 15, 2025, 23:39 IST
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