Donald Trump has claimed that the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was a preemptive move to counter what he described as an imminent threat to his own life. The US President first announced Khamenei’s death on Truth Social, branding him “one of the most evil people in History.”
In an interview with ABC News, Trump appeared to reference a previously reported 2024 Iran-linked assassination plot that US authorities had said targeted him. “I killed him first, before he could kill me. He tried twice. Well, I killed him first,” Trump said, adding, “I got him before he got me.”
Trump’s warning to Iran
While declaring Khamenei’s death, Trump described the action as “Justice for the people of Iran” and for Americans and others around the world who he alleged had suffered because of the Iranian leader. He also claimed that US intelligence and advanced tracking systems, working in coordination with Israel, ensured that Khamenei and other targeted leaders “could do nothing” to escape. Trump further called the moment “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
Soon after, Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran. Responding to statements from Iran about potential retaliation, he wrote that if Iran were to strike “harder than they have ever hit before,” the United States would respond with force “that has never been seen before.”
The remarks came amid a major US military operation dubbed Operation Epic Fury, launched on Friday, February 27. The coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel reportedly targeted key Iranian military infrastructure, including missile facilities, naval bases and sites near Khamenei’s office. According to US officials, the operation was aimed at neutralising immediate threats to American forces and allies in the Middle East, while also sending a strong signal over Iran’s nuclear activities.
