Overview
- Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, via ISNA, said enemies seek to target Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through assassination attempts or hostile attacks.
- Khatib directly accused the United States and Israel and labeled any collaborators as infiltrating agents of the enemy.
- Reports note no evidence of a specific new plot, though such public claims were rare before the 12-day Israel–Iran conflict in June.
- During that conflict, Israel struck senior Iranian figures and sites, and the U.S. later hit key nuclear facilities, with Netanyahu not ruling out killing Khamenei and President Donald Trump calling him a “very easy target.”
- A ceasefire has held since June 24, with Israel and the U.S. warning of renewed strikes if Iran advances its nuclear program, as Iranian leaders voice concern about potential internal turmoil if Khamenei is targeted.