
Donald Trump has commented on the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, by emphasizing that " I hit him before he hit me. They tried twice. But I hit him first ."
The US president appeared to be referring to a number of attempts that reports indicated were carried out by Iranian intelligence to target him, the latest of which occurred during his 2024 election campaign.
When asked who he saw as a candidate to lead Iran after Khamenei's death, he stated that everyone he had considered had already been killed, adding that the attack was successful enough to eliminate most of the candidates.
"None of the people we were thinking about will be there because they all died. The second or third place candidate is also dead," he said.
Previously, Trump declared that military operations against Iran "will continue until all objectives are achieved."
"We hit hundreds of targets, including facilities belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, air defense systems, 9 ships, in addition to a naval base. I call on the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military and the police to lay down their weapons to gain immunity or face certain death," the American leader added.
Trump confirmed the killing of 3 American soldiers in operations against Iran, adding: " It is likely that there will be more casualties among the Americans ."
He called on Iranians to " seize this moment and reclaim their country ," adding, " The United States is with you ."