Donald Trump makes chilling Iran threat, says he won’t kill leader ‘for now’

Middle East tensions have ramped up after Donald Trump says the US knows where Iran’s supreme leader is ‘hiding’ in a warning that he will be ‘taken out’ if any Americans are killed. Follow updates.

Donald Trump has issued a chilling threat to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying the US knows where he is and won’t “take him out” – yet, as Israel and Iran continued to trade deadly fire for a fifth day in their most intense confrontation in history.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr 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,” Mr Trump said.

“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers.

“Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Earlier, JD Vance warned Mr Trump could take “further action” against Iran’s nuclear program as he responded to speculation that the United States could intervene in the conflict.

“The president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military’s focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens. He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,” Mr Vance said in a post on X.

Israel’s military said Tuesday its forces struck several locations in western Iran, hitting “dozens” of missile launchers, as well as an Iranian state TV building — forcing a presenter to flee mid-broadcast.

Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas and fuel depots, have also been hit with “direct impacts” registered on the underground part of the Natanz nuclear site.

It comes as the Israeli military claimed it had killed Iran’s top military commander, Ali Shadmani, in an overnight strike, calling him the closest figure to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s health ministry said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1200 wounded.

Tehran has responded with barrages of missiles and drones that hit Israeli cities and towns, killing at least 24 people and wounding 592 others, according to the prime minister’s office.

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Originally published as Donald Trump makes chilling Iran threat, says he won’t kill leader ‘for now’