Iran's Intelligence Minister warned of US and ‘Israeli’ attempts to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or incite internal unrest in the Islamic Republic.

The warning follows fears expressed by the Iranian president that Khamenei's assassination during the June war could have led to serious internal divisions.

Iran's Intelligence Minister warned against US and ‘Israeli’ attempts to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or incite internal unrest within the Islamic Republic, according to local media reports.

 

Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, has served as Supreme Leader since 1989 and holds the decisive authority on all strategic issues in Iran.

 

Khamenei as the “Pillar” of Unity

Esmaeil Khatib was quoted by the ISNA news agency Saturday evening as saying that the Supreme Leader is the "pillar" of the nation.

 

He added, "For this reason, the enemies seek to target him and undertake actions that threaten this axis of unity."

 

"Those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy," Khatib added, referring directly to ‘Israel’ and the United States.

 

It was not clear if the Minister was referring to a specific incident or plot.

 

Referencing the security of the Supreme Leader himself has been rare until the war between Iran and ‘Israel’ last summer.

 

Assassination Fears During 'Israel' War

The warning follows the 12-day war that erupted after ‘Israel’ launched an unprecedented attack on Iran on June 13, in which the US briefly joined with strikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities.

 

On Nov. 11, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that he feared Khamenei's assassination during the June war and worried that such a killing would incite internal divisions.

 

Pezeshkian said in a video broadcast by state media: "I was not afraid for myself; I was afraid that something bad would happen to the Leader and that we would fall into infighting."

 

Foreign Threats

US and ‘Israeli’ officials have repeatedly made public threats against the Supreme Leader's life.

 

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News during the war that killing the Leader will “end the conflict”.

 

At the time, Trump had also said that Iran's supreme leader was a "very easy target" and that "we are not going to take him out, at least not for now."

 

He later said in a post on Truth Social he had saved Iran's supreme leader from "A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH".