Trump Told Israel not to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader

According to three US officials speaking to CBS News, former US President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

One official said that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that killing Khamenei was “not a good idea.” Trump has not made any public comment on the matter yet.

The conversation reportedly happened after Israel began its attacks on Iran last Friday.

During a Fox News interview, Netanyahu did not confirm or deny the Reuters report that Trump had blocked the plan.

He stated, “There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that.”

He added, “But I can tell you I think we do what we need to do. We will do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States, and I’m just not going to get into it.”

An Israeli official told CBS News that, “in principle”, Israel does not kill political leaders and is focused on military and nuclear targets.

“I don’t think anyone making decisions about those programmes should be living free and easy,” he added.

Tensions Rise as Attacks Continue

The conflict between Iran and Israel escalated after Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure on Friday. Since then, both countries have continued attacking each other for three consecutive days.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Iran and Israel should make a deal,” and said that he could stop the fighting “just like I got India and Pakistan.”

Speaking before heading to the G7 summit, Trump said the US would keep supporting Israel but didn’t say whether he had asked Israel to stop the strikes.

US-Iran nuclear talks set for Sunday were cancelled. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Saturday that the talks would not happen.

A source told Reuters that Iran informed Qatar and Oman that it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack.

Trump warned, “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”