President Donald Trump on Saturday declined to definitively confirm reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, but suggested the claims were credible.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” Trump told NBC News when asked directly whether Khamenei was dead. “But the rumor is, and the word is, that he has been killed.”
Pressed on his reaction, Trump sharply criticized the Iranian leader.
“He’s killed many people. He’s killed many, many people,” Trump said. “Destroyed many lives. Destroyed many families, and he destroyed a country.”
When asked how and when confirmation might come, Trump said he had been in contact with multiple sources.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people, beyond, and we feel certain — we feel — we feel that that is a correct story,” he said.
Israeli officials said Khamenei had been killed and that his body had been recovered. Iranian authorities, however, denied those claims, insisting the supreme leader remains alive and is “commanding the field.”
A senior U.S. official briefed on military operations and intelligence told NBC News that Khamenei is “almost certainly dead,” though no formal confirmation has been issued.
The White House also released an image showing Trump overseeing the Iran operation from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate.
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