Donald Trump is reported to have stopped a plan by Israel to kill Iran’s supreme leader, US sources have claimed. The death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is also the highest Iranian religious figure, would have sent shockwaves through the nation and the Shia Muslim world.
But on hearing about the possible Israeli strike, a US source reported Trump is said to have shot back: “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership”, reports The Telegraph.
So far Israel has targeted only senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the military wing of the regime, and scientists and officials connected to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Asked about a plan to kill the Ayatollah during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not directly address whether the White House rejected the plan.
“But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do,” Netanyahu said. “And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.”
Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri later called reports about the Israeli plan to kill Khamenei “fake.”
Netanyahu in the Fox interview also said regime change “could certainly be the result” of the conflict “because the Iranian regime is very weak.”
Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire on Sunday, as the Iranian health ministry said that 224 people have been killed since the conflict ignited on Friday. World leaders are due to meet in Calgary, Canada, today (Monday) at a G7 summit where conflict in the Middle East is expected to dominate the agenda.
Sir Keir Starmer said that the G7 meeting in Alberta would provide an opportunity for allies to make the case for de-escalation in the “fast moving” situation in the Middle East, with Donald Trump among those set to attend.
Leaders have been urging calm in recent days since Israel first launched strikes against Iran before the weekend, with Sir Keir having held calls with Mr Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz among others.
Israel’s strikes have killed a number of Tehran’s top generals, as the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles, said intelligence chief General Mohammad Kazemi and two other generals were the latest killed.
The UK Government updated its travel guidance to advise against all travel to Israel on Sunday amid the continuing blows.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website warns that “travel insurance could be invalidated” if people travel against the advice, and described the current status as a “fast-moving situation that poses significant risks”.
Asked about reports that ministers have drawn up contingency plans to evacuate British nationals from Israel, a Number 10 spokesman said on Sunday: “We always monitor the situation closely and we keep contingency plans, as you’d expect, under constant review.”
Trump said on Sunday that “Iran and Israel should make a deal”.
“We will have peace soon between Israel and Iran,” he posted on his TruthSocial platform.
“Many calls and meetings now taking place.”