U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “is an easy target” saying the United States knows exactly where is hiding.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Trump wrote: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.”
This message comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to grow. Trump also posted that people in Iran’s capital, Tehran, should “immediately evacuate” to avoid danger. He also threatened that if Iran continues to attack civilians or American troops, the U.S. will respond strongly.
While returning to Washington from the G7 meeting in Canada, Trump was asked by reporters about his goal in the war. He answered simply: “An end. A real end. Not a ceasefire. An end.”
Trump also made it clear that he no longer wants to negotiate with Iran about its nuclear program. He said: “They should have done the deal. I told them, ‘Do the deal.’ So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
This comes even though U.S. intelligence officials, including National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, have said Iran is not building a nuclear bomb.
But Trump disagreed, saying:“I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having it.”
Trump also replied to conservative TV host Tucker Carlson, who had warned against U.S. involvement in the war as Trump wrote on X:“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
According to Associated Press, citing U.S. officials, Israel had asked Trump for permission to target Khamenei directly, but Trump said no, fearing it would make the war worse.
As per reports, Trump said he is open to sending Vice President J.D. Vance or special envoy Steve Witkoff to Iran for possible talks as it appears the US President prefers a show of strength over diplomacy for now.
