- Minister Khatib does not immediately refer to any specific incident.
- “Those who act in this direction are agents of the enemy,” says Khatib.
- During the war, the United States vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to attack Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilize the Islamic republic.
the country ISNA The news agency reported Saturday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib warned that “the enemy seeks to attack the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks.”
While it was not immediately clear whether the minister was referring to a specific incident, and Iranian officials often allege foreign plots, statements about threats against Khamenei’s life had been rare before a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.
“Those who act in this direction, consciously or unconsciously, are infiltrated agents of the enemy,” Khatib added, referring directly to Israel and the United States.
During the conflict earlier this year, Israel attacked senior Iranian military officials, scientists and nuclear sites, as well as residential areas, and the United States later joined in with attacks on key nuclear facilities.
Asked about wartime reports that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader for fear it would escalate the standoff between Iran and Israel, 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’re not going to take him out, at least not right now.”
He later said in a post on Truth Social that he had saved Iran’s supreme leader from “A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINANT DEATH.”
Khamenei, 86, has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and has the final say in all state affairs.
Earlier this month, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he was particularly concerned about Khamenei’s life during the war and feared that the country’s institutions would “start fighting among themselves.”
In July, Khamenei said Israel’s attacks during the war were aimed at weakening the Islamic republic, sowing “unrest and bringing people to the streets to overthrow the system.”
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24, but both Israel and the United States have threatened new attacks if Tehran revives its nuclear program.
