Iran warns of attempts to target supreme leader Khamenei

TEHRAN (AFP): 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 destabilise the Islamic republic. 

The country’s ISNA  news agency reported on Saturday 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 added, referring directly to Israel and the United States.

During the conflict earlier this year, Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and sites as well as residential areas, 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, Israeli 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.”

He later said in a post on Truth Social he had saved Iran’s supreme leader from “A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH”.

The 86-year-old Khamenei has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and has the final say on all state affairs.

Earlier this month, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he was particularly concerned for Khamenei’s life during the war and feared that the country’s institutions “would start fighting among each other.”

In July, Khamenei said Israel’s attacks during the war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic, sow “unrest and bring people into the streets to overthrow the system”.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24, but both Israel and the United States have threatened new strikes if Tehran revives its nuclear programme.