Iran’s intelligence chief, Esmail Khatib, has accused the United States and Israel of plotting to assassinate Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a claim that highlights the growing tensions between the two nations and Iran. The allegations emerged in the wake of a recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, where the US had joined Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Khatib, in a statement, warned that the US and Israel were employing both direct and indirect methods to target the supreme leader, while also citing evidence of espionage within Israeli institutions. According to the report by ISNA news agency, the intelligence minister said that the enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks, referring to the US and Israel.
The report also mentioned that the intelligence breach, coupled with what he described as Iran’s firm posture during the 12-day war, pointed to shifting regional power dynamics. Earlier this year, Netanyahu brushed off reports that US President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s supreme leader during the war, while adding that such a strike would ‘end the conflict.’
Trump had claimed Khamenei was a ‘very easy target’ and that Washington would not ‘take him out, at least not for now,’ later declaring on Truth Social that he had spared the Iranian leader from ‘A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.’
Khamenei, 86, has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and has final authority over all state affairs. The report stated that Khatib reportedly warned that ‘those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy.’
He added that Israel was grappling with ‘an epidemic of infiltration and espionage for Iran within its own institutions,’ citing the recent arrest of an Israeli Air Force officer accused of spying for Tehran. Khatib reportedly claimed that Iran had obtained secret nuclear information and other highly sensitive security documents.
The allegations come amid heightened tensions following the June war between Israel and Iran, with both sides exchanging accusations of espionage and sabotage. The US, which joined Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, has been a key player in the region, with its support for Israel’s actions against Iran’s nuclear program.