Iran warns of attempts to target Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran’s intelligence ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilize the Islamic Republic.

The country’s ISNA news agency reports that intelligence minister Esmail Khatib cautioned, “The enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks.”

While it was not immediately clear if the minister was referring to a specific incident, and Iranian officials often allege foreign plots, statements on threats against Khamenei’s life had been rare prior to a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.

“Those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy,” Khatib adds, referring directly to Israel and the United States.

During the conflict earlier this year, Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and sites, with the US later joining with strikes on key nuclear facilities.

Asked about reports during the war that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader out of concern it would escalate the Iran-Israel showdown, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dismissive but said the move would “end the conflict.”

At the time, Trump had also said that Iran’s supreme leader was a “very easy target” and that “we are not going to take him out, at least not for now.”