In remarks following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader in strikes by Israel and the United States, President Donald Trump claimed that Khamenei had made two attempts on his life. Referring to 'Operation Epic Fury', Trump boasted that he had acted before his rival could succeed, saying he "got him (Khamenei) first".
The remarks were made by Trump during a call with Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl at ABC News on Sunday evening.
"President Trump told me this about the death of Ayatollah Khamenei: "I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well I got him first." That's a reference to what US intelligence believes was a plot to kill Trump in 2024," Karl wrote in a post on X.
ALSO READ: From B-2 Bombers To Anthropic AI: What US Unleashed In Deadly 'Operation Epic Fury' Against Iran
Trump Announced Khamenei's Death
Trump on Sunday called Iran's late Supreme leader “one of the most evil people in history”.
"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS," Trump claimed in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Recommended For You
"He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do," Trump added.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” the US President said.
Trump Assassination Attempts
Trump has witnessed a few assassination attempts in the last few years. He was shot in the ear in July 2024 during a rally in Pennsylvania. A few months later in September, a man was taken into custody after he tried to target Trump with his rifle while the US President was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach.
Then an Afghan national was charged by US agencies. He was allegedly being used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate Donald Trump. The man, identified as Farhad Shakeri was termed as an "Iranian asset" by the Justice Department.