Trump Says He ‘Got Khamenei First’ as US-Israel Strike Kills Iran’s Supreme Leader

President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, after months of tension. The President said that he had Khamenei killed before the Iranian leader could carry out any assassination plot against him.

Trump said in an interview with ABC News, “I got him before he got me.” The president was referring to Iran’s failed assassination attempts against him. He added, “They tried twice. Well, I got him first.”

According to intelligence agencies, Iranian officials wanted to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Qasem Soleimani. In 2024, authorities arrested Farhad Shakeri, described as an IRGC asset, for allegedly attempting to stalk and murder Trump during his presidential campaign.

Shakeri told investigators that Iranian officials asked him to develop a plan to kill Trump in seven days. Trump previously discussed the threat in an interview with News Nation in January 2026. At the time, he said if anything happened to him, Iran would face severe retaliation.

“Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up. I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions,” he said. The assassination attempts were not the only reason Trump decided to take out Khamenei. According to the White House, Trump ordered a strike on Iran to ensure that the country does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

After the Iranian leader was eliminated, Trump took to Truth Social and called him ‘one of the most evil people in history.’ He added, “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.”

In a later interview with The Atlantic, Trump said Iranian officials were ready to talk to him after the strikes. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” the President commented.

He said the attack killed most of the senior officials in the Iranian regime. “Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big—that was a big hit. They should have done it sooner,” Trump said.

The operation has increased tensions in the Middle East. After the U.S. and Israel strikes, Iran launched drones and missiles on the U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE. Iran has also targeted energy facilities in the Gulf region. The airspace over the Middle East has been closed, leaving numerous passengers stranded at airports.