They were not in the Situation Room in Washington, but at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. However, the White House shared photos of President Donald Trump live following the American-Israeli attack on Saturday, February 28.
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Trump announced that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the attack, but there was no confirmation from Tehran.
Trump, in a suit jacket, white shirt and white “USA” baseball cap, is pictured sitting at a table with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, with a partially blurred map marked “Operation Epic Fury” behind them.
All their faces are solemn.
They are in a building with wooden ceiling beams, in an area that seems to be divided by black curtains, with at least one security agent on the perimeter.
It wasn’t immediately clear where the area was, and a post on the White House’s X account read: “President Donald J. Trump oversees US military operations in Iran: Operation Epic Fury, February 28, 2026.”
Trump is currently in Florida. Earlier, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said she was monitoring events from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
In another photo, Gen. Don Cain, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is seen speaking to those in attendance.
Read moreIran’s IRGC vows ‘fierce’ retaliation against US and Israel after Khamenei assassination
A separate photo shows Vice President JD Vance in the White House Situation Room in Washington, flanked by Director of National Intelligence Tulasi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and other “Cabinet Secretaries.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright stands with his back to the camera.
The vice president’s seal adorns the wall behind the meeting table. Vance is wearing a suit and white shirt, without a tie.
Read moreAyatollah Ali Khamenei Killed in Israeli-American Strike, Iran Declares 40 Days of Mourning
It is customary for presidents to release pictures of themselves in the Situation Room at important times during their White House tenure.
Former President Barack Obama released a situation room observation in 2011 when al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a US special forces raid in Pakistan.
But Trump prefers to spend time at Mar-a-Lago, meaning he wasn’t in the situation room on this occasion or when Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by US special forces in Caracas in January this year.
(AFP with FRANCE24)
(tags to translate)Americas
