The United States and Israel have launched a new round of attacks on Iran, again derailing talks on Iran’s nuclear program and raising questions about efforts to target the country’s security and leadership apparatus.
Areas targeted on Saturday in Iran’s capital Tehran included places associated with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
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Here’s more on why Khamenei and the US and Israel are trying to “behead” the leadership of the Islamic Republic:
Where did Saturday’s attacks take place?
Iranian media reported that the US-Israeli strikes occurred nationwide, including in several areas of the capital, Tehran.
Seven missiles hit an area near the presidential palace in Shemiran, north of Tehran, and near Khamenei’s compound, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Attacks also took place near Khamenei’s offices in the capital, the Associated Press reported.
Where is Khamenei?
It is unclear. Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a safe place, Reuters news agency quoted a source as saying.
Who is Khamenei?
The 86-year-old Islamic scholar has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, when the late founder of the Islamic Republic, the charismatic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returned from exile and led Iran’s 1979 revolution that toppled US ally and shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He has ultimate authority over all branches of government, military and judicial, as well as acts as the country’s spiritual leader.
During his rule, Khamenei has endured hostile relations with the West, including severe sanctions and several rounds of protests at home over economic and rights issues. He has called the US Iran’s “number one enemy,” with Israel trailing behind.
Crucial to Khamenei’s power is the loyalty of Iran’s two main security agencies – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary forces, which number hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
Khamenei has long said that Iran will never build a nuclear weapon and that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. Neither US intelligence nor the UN nuclear watchdog has found any evidence that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, a narrative Israel and some in the Trump administration have dismissed.
What did the US and Israel say about Khamenei?
Officials from both countries have previously issued threats against Khamenei.
In June, after the 12-day war of US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation against Israel, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei “cannot continue to exist.”
“A dictator like Khamenei, who is the head of a country like Iran and has the terrible goal of destroying Israel – cannot exist,” he said.
That same month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel had not ruled out an attempt to assassinate Khamenei, which he said would “end” the long-running conflict between the US and Iran.
In the US, President Donald Trump has also made threatening remarks against Khamenei. In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Trump said Iran’s leader should be “very worried” as the US has built up military assets in the region. In separate remarks, he said regime change in Iran was “the best thing that could happen” and that “there are people” who would assume leadership without explaining.
Trump claimed Khamenei would be an “easy target” if the US decided to go after him, as he ordered the attack on Iran last year.
“We know where the so-called ‘supreme leader’ is hiding,” Trump said. “He’s an easy target, but he’s safe there — we’re not going to take him out (kill!), at least not yet.”
What was the target of the latest attack?
In remarks following the attack, Trump vowed to “eliminate” Iran’s naval and missile sites and urged the Iranians to overthrow their government.
“When we’re done, take over your government. It’ll be yours,” Trump said. “This is probably your only chance for a generation.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, who covers Iran extensively, said it was clear that the US-Israeli strikes were “mainly aimed at beheading (the political elite)”.
“How successful or unsuccessful it will be, it’s too early to tell.”
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