Trump Says Iran's Ayatollah Safe 'For Now' As Tehran Residents Flee
President Donald Trump says the United States knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding and that Iran's leader is safe "for now," as resident of Tehran fled the capital in droves amid Israeli warnings of "significant" air strikes.
In a social media just ahead of convening the National Security Council on June 17, Trump issued the thinly veiled threat to Khamenei as he urged Iran to offer its "unconditional surrender."
"He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Trumpwrote.
"Our patience is wearing thin," he added just hours after he called for a "real end" to five days of deadly air strikes by both Iran and Israel.
Trump's tweet also came after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country's military would issue evacuation warnings to residents of capital ahead of a new strike on June 17.
"We will attack very significant targets in Tehran today...We will continue to deal heavy blows to Iran," Katz said.
Iranian media reported several blasts in the central city of Isfahan, where several of the country's nuclear facilities are located.
Meanwhile, air raid sirens screamed across Tel Aviv in the late afternoon to warn of possible incoming Iranian air strikes.
As he left a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada early to deal with the crisis in the Middle East at a meeting of his National Security Council, Trump expressed frustration with Tehran for failing to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, which is being target by Israel even though Iran says it is purely for civilian purposes.
"I'm not looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at something better than a ceasefire," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he left the Canadian province of Alberta.
Earlier on on June 17, the Israeli army claimed it had killed Ali Shadmani, who was appointed commander of the Khatam ol-Anbiya central headquarters after the June 13 killing of Major General Gholam Ali Rashid.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the death of Shadmani, who was a general in Irans paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The headquarters is responsible for operational command and control and its leader serves as the deputy commander in chief of the Iranian armed forces.
Trump left the G7 summit late on June 16 with an ominous message on social media warning "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran."
"Iran should have signed the 'deal.' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again," Trumpwrote on Truth Social. "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"
CNN quoted an unnamed White House official as saying Trump's evacuation comment was meant to pressure Iran to negotiate.
SEE ALSO:
Tehran On Edge As Tensions Rise Over Israeli Strikes In Iran
Before Trump departed the summit all seven leaders signed a joint statement stressing "the importance of the protection of civilians" as the growing attacks kill civilians on both sides.
The leaders of the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States -- also stated their conviction that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon" and that Israel "has a right to defend itself."
The statement expressed hopes that a resolution of the Iranian crisis "leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a cease-fire in Gaza."
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