Israel had a plan to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Trump blocked the mission, according to reports. Two unnamed officials told Reuters that Israeli authorities believed they had a clear chance to carry out the assassination, but Trump convinced them not to go through with it.
The plan signals the desperation and velocity with which Israel’s moving to dismantle Iran’s leadership amid concerns that it is pushing for regime change. Meanwhile, Republican Iran hawks are creating pressure on the president to support and participate in Israel’s airstrike campaign. Any military involvement in the region risks creating tension between Trump and key figures in the MAGA movement.
Trump Stopped Khamenei’s Assassination
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“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” an official told Reuters. Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on Sunday that his sources also verified Trump called off an Israeli operation to assassinate the Islamic Republic’s leader.
U.S. officials have maintained ongoing contact with their Israeli counterparts following Israel’s large-scale assault on Iran, aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to comment on the assassination claims during a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ “Special Report With Bret Baier.”
“There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that,” Netanyahu 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.”
Meanwhile, any military intervention in the region by the United States risks straining Trump’s relationships with key MAGA allies—particularly Tucker Carlson, who has criticized him for being “complicit” in Israel’s attacks.
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This comes as Trump, earlier today, declined to rule out future involvement in the conflict, while also insisting that the U.S. has not played any role so far.
Trump Doesn’t Rule Out Future Involvement
In a Sunday morning interview with ABC News, Trump replied to reports that Israel was urging his administration to get involved in the conflict with Iran to help dismantle its nuclear program. “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” the president said.
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“The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” with a surprise strike early Friday, targeting and eliminating key figures in Iran’s military leadership and inflicting damage on its nuclear facilities. Israeli officials have stated that the offensive will intensify in the coming days. In response, Iran has threatened to “open the gates of hell.”
Overnight into Sunday, both nations exchanged new rounds of attacks, resulting in numerous casualties and heightening concerns of a broader war.
