&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Did Trump order Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei's assassination? Here's what new report suggests")
As tensions simmer between Washington and Tehran, US President Donald Trump is weighing options that go far beyond diplomacy, suggest reports. The POTUS is reportedly considering "taking out" the nation's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Imam Ali Khamenei, his son and the mullahs. Here's what we know.
Trump to order Ayatollah's assassination?
According to an Axios report citing multiple sources, Trump is considering multiple scenarios, including one that involves the assassination of Iran's supreme leader and his potential successor, his son, Mojtaba.
Also read | Iran claims breakthrough in Geneva talks, Vance says Tehran ignoring Trump's 'red lines'
"They have something for every scenario. One scenario takes out the ayatollah and his son and the mullahs," a senior Trump advisor told the publication. However, the adviser insisted that Trump has not decided yet, "What the president chooses no one knows. I don't think he knows."
Another senior official on the Trump administration confirmed that the plan to kill Khamenei and his son Mojtaba was presented to Trump weeks ago.
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Trump ‘keeping his options open’
"Trump is keeping his options open. He could decide on an attack at any moment," including direct action against the country’s top leadership, said a third person in the Trump administration.
Military pressure builds
The reports surfaced as Trump on Thursday (Feb 19) acknowledged he is considering a limited strike on Iran, if the nation did not strike a deal with the US within 10-15 days. When asked directly by a reporter, he replied, "The most I can say, I am considering it."
Also read | Trump, ahead of US-Iran talks in Geneva, warns Tehran of 'consequences' if nuclear deal fails
In recent weeks, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Middle East. After deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group earlier this year, Washington ordered a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, to head to the region. The move is widely seen as leverage, aimed at pushing Tehran to curb its nuclear programme.
Trump has warned that "bad things" would happen if Iran does not reach a deal before his deadline expires.
Talks continue
The latest escalation comes even as negotiations inch forward. Following talks in Geneva, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a draft proposal could be ready within days and would be handed to US envoy Steve Witkoff after final approval in Tehran.
Araghchi pushed back on claims that Washington demanded zero uranium enrichment. "We have not offered any suspension, and the US side has not asked for zero enrichment," he said in an interview to US TV network MS NOW. The focus, he insisted, is ensuring Iran’s nuclear programme "is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever".
