Trump vetoed Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's supreme leader despite Netanyahu claiming the Islamic Republic plotted to kill the US President
Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate the Supreme Leader of Iran despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming the Islamic Republic plotted to kill the US President.
Multiple US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have told Reuters the US government has been in constant contact with Israel since the country launched a massive attack on Iran in an attempt to halt its nuclear program last Friday.
The US officials said the Israelis reported they had an opportunity to kill Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, but Trump waved them off the plan.
"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," a senior US administration official said.
The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But the US President has been in frequent communication with Mr Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu refused to be drawn on the report during a Fox News interview on Sunday, instead saying Israel would 'do what we need to do' and the United States 'knows what is good for the United States'.
The Israeli Prime Minister also claimed Iran had been plotting to kill President Trump, claiming the Islamic Republic viewed America's 47th President as 'enemy number one'.
"They want to kill him. He's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars," Netanyahu told Fox News' Bret Baier.
"He took up this fake agreement and basically tore it up. He killed (Iranian General) Qasem Soleimani. He made it very clear, including now, 'You cannot have a nuclear weapon, which means you cannot enrich uranium.' He's been very forceful, so for them, he's enemy number one."
The White House had recently made overtures to Iran to restart talks about the country's nuclear program and Iran's foreign minister has claimed Israel's attack was an attempt to derail the talks.
Trump has denied any involvement in Israel's attack on Iran, however on Sunday the President told (America's) ABC News that the US 'could get involved' in the conflict if Israel and Iran are unable to 'make a deal'.
'We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,' Trump told ABC News.
The comments came one day after the US President warned Iran that any attack on the US would lead to a 'full strength' response.
"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,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
However Iranian government officials have told reporters they believe Israel has been coordinating its attacks with the 'agreement and support of the United States'.
'We have received messages from the US through various channels over the past two days stating that the US had no involvement and will have no involvement in this attack… we don't believe the US's claim,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Tehran on Sunday.
-With Reuters.
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