Donald Trump rejected Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader

U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected a plan by Israel to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to three U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News.

The conversation is believed to have taken place after Israel launched a major military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets on Friday, June 13. Since then, both countries have continued exchanging attacks, with strikes entering a third consecutive day as of Sunday, June 15.

One official said Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that killing Khamenei was “not a good idea.” The president has not commented publicly on the report.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu neither confirmed nor denied the report. “There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “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.”

An Israeli official told CBS News that Israel’s focus is not on political leaders but on Iran’s nuclear and military programs. “I don’t think anyone making decisions about those programs should be living free and easy,” the official said.

President Trump has called for calm in the region. In a post on Truth Social, he said, “Iran and Israel should make a deal,” and claimed he could get them to cease hostilities “just like I got India and Pakistan.”

Speaking to reporters before departing for the G7 Summit in Canada, Trump confirmed continued U.S. support for Israel but declined to say whether he had urged Israel to halt its strikes. He also stated, “The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran.”

Trump issued a stern warning to Iran on Saturday, June 14, saying, “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.”

Meanwhile, efforts to restart U.S.-Iran nuclear talks have stalled. Talks were scheduled for Sunday, June 15, but Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Saturday that they had been cancelled. According to Reuters, Iran told mediators from Qatar and Oman that it would not negotiate a ceasefire while Israeli attacks were ongoing.

(Courtesy: BBC)