President Donald Trump has told aides he would support killing Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if he refuses to comply with U.S. demands, including ending Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal citing current and former U.S. officials.
The White House declined to comment on the report.
Trump said Monday he was “not happy” with Khamenei becoming Iran’s new leader, telling the New York Post he opposed the choice after previously calling the cleric “unacceptable.”
“I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” Trump told Time magazine last week.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has privately indicated he would back the killing of Khamenei if the new leader refuses to meet U.S. demands such as halting Iran’s nuclear development.
Two officials cited in the report said Israel would likely carry out any operation targeting Khamenei, noting that Israel has taken the lead in operations against senior Iranian leaders.
Asked recently in an interview with CNN whether Khamenei could become a target, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said: “You’ll have to wait and see.”
According to the report, Israel carried out the strike that killed Khamenei’s father, the previous supreme leader, as well as the younger Khamenei’s wife.
Officials cited by the Wall Street Journal described Mojtaba Khamenei as a hardline successor to his father who was chosen with backing from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The officials said they do not expect the new leader to abandon Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons or agree to end the conflict on terms favorable to the United States.