US Weighs Options Against Iran, Including Assassination of Supreme Leader

Are we looking at brinkmanship, or something far more explosive? Reports this week claim that Donald Trump is weighingoptions against Iranthat go beyond diplomacy, including a scenario involving the assassination of Ali Khamenei and his potential successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. The claims, first reported by Axios citing multiple administration sources, land at a moment of fragile diplomacy, rising military deployments, and sharp rhetoric between Washington and Tehran. Here is what we know, what remains unconfirmed, and what such a move would mean. According to Axios, citing senior administration officials, multiple scenarios have been presented to the president. One reportedly includes “taking out” Iran’s supreme leader and his son, Mojtaba. One senior adviser told the outlet that contingency plans exist for “every scenario,” including direct action against Iran’s top leadership. Another official said such a proposal had been presented weeks earlier. A third source characterized Trump as “keeping his options open.”