Former US ambassador in Israel: Trump will try to kill Khamenei this week!
Former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Saturday commented on recent statements made by US President Donald Trump regarding Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, against the backdrop of rapid developments related to the situation in Iran.
In a post on X, Shapiro said that Trump’s remarks to Politico about the need for new leadership in Iran, coupled with his provocative tone toward Khamenei on social media, lead him to believe that Trump may soon seek to target Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The former US diplomat added that the United States is preparing to deploy an attack group of aircraft carriers in the Middle East, which would facilitate the implementation of large-scale military strikes inside Iran, while preparing to repel any possible Iranian response.
Shapiro said a direct strike on Khamenei, if accompanied by targeting the command and control centers of the Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces, could give Trump an opportunity to say that he is fulfilling his previous pledges to Iranian protesters and carry out his threat to make the Iranian regime bear the cost of what he described as the violent suppression of the protests.
However, Shapiro concluded by stressing that such a scenario, even if it materializes, doesn’t necessarily mean a radical change in the Iranian regime.
Khamenei’s absence could lead in the near term to the IRGC’s direct control of power, he said, while the state’s repressive and hostile approach continues.
He added that any real change in Iran, if it occurs, will be the result of the will of the Iranian people themselves, stressing that supporting this path requires long-term efforts and mostly non-military tools, not a quick military strike.
These statements come after Trump, in an interview with Politico, said that it has become necessary to search for an alternative leadership in Iran, after reviewing the posts and statements of the Iranian leader.
Trump accused the leadership in Tehran of relying on repression and violence, arguing that mismanagement had made Iran, as he described it, one of the worst countries to live in the world.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the US president a “criminal”, accusing him of inciting and supporting unrest in Iran, and blaming what he called “seditionists” for the thousands of victims during the recent events.
Iranian authorities also announced the arrest of dozens of people in several provinces, which they said were involved in organizing the protests and riots that have recently taken place in the country.
Trump had earlier announced his reversal of a direct military strike on Iran, after days of intensified military moves and the transfer of equipment to the region, as well as an escalation in political rhetoric and his public support for protesters inside Iran.
Despite the decline in the intensity of the statements in recent days, the data indicate that US military assets continue to move towards the Middle East, in light of the existing tension.
Israel has also been involved in diplomatic and security consultations related to the Iranian issue, where the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, visited the United States to discuss the developments.
In this context, the White House stressed that all options are still on the table, warning Tehran that any further escalation could be met with a strong US response.
