Donald Trump vetoed a recent Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two senior US officials speaking to Reuters.
The officials said Israel informed the US of an opportunity to strike Khamenei during ongoing military escalations, but the former president dismissed the proposal, reportedly saying: “Until they [Iran] kill an American, we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.”
Trump, who is said to be in frequent contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been trying to keep the door open to renewed US-Iran nuclear talks — though recent Israeli strikes on Iran have disrupted those efforts.
Netanyahu declined to confirm or deny the report in a Fox News interview, calling it one of many “false reports” and adding only that Israel would act in its own interests.