President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday that the U.S. and Israeli militaries are aware of the location of Iran’s supreme leader and implied that they could assassinate him at any time, though they’ve decided to spare him for the moment.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he does not want Ayatollah Khamenei killed “for now,” and urged Iran to surrender in its conflict against Israel.
“We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,” Trump said.
In a separate post, Trump called for an “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks over the past few days. The post comes after reports that Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei in order to keep the door open to diplomatic talks about Iran’s nuclear development.
The Israelis have eliminated several top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists in targeted attacks, while severely damaging Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Iranian regime has responded by launching ballistic missiles towards Israeli cities and towns, following through on its promise to retaliate against the Jewish state.
Trump has been posting about the Israel-Iran conflict throughout the day, at one point celebrating America and Israel taking “complete and total control” of the skies over Iran, thanks to American manufacturing and ingenuity. Early morning Tuesday, Trump denied French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that he left the G7 summit early to hash out a cease-fire deal between Israel and Iran. Trump later said he has not reached out to Iran for peace talks in “any way, shape, or form,” and to say otherwise amounts to “FAKE NEWS!”
Last night, Trump repeated his assertion that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon and urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, a potential indication of future strikes on the Iranian capital. U.S. forces have not been involved in Israel’s attacks against Iran, but the U.S. has helped defend Israel from Iranian missiles, as the U.S. did when Iran sent projectiles towards Israel last year.
Throughout his political career, Trump has taken a tough position on Iran. He ripped up former President Obama’s nuclear agreement and adopting a “maximum pressure” approach to the regime during his first term. Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, a move that has motivated Iranian plots against Trump and top officials from his prior administration.