US President Donald Trump has broken his silence on the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his words were anything but diplomatic. In a candid conversation with an American journalist, Trump made it clear that he saw the strike as personal not just political.
When asked directly about Khamenei’s death, Trump did not hold back.
“I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first.”
Trump was referring to what US intelligence agencies believe was a 2024 Iranian plot to assassinate him. For Trump, this was not just a military operation — it was personal score-settling on a global stage.
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, who spoke to Trump directly, shared the details of their conversation in a video posted on X:
“I just spoke to President Trump for several minutes about Iran. I asked him about who is going to take over now that the Ayatollah, the Supreme Leader, is gone, and his answer was interesting. He said the attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates.”
Karl went on to reveal more of what Trump told him:
“He told me it’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they’re all dead. I talked to him about the fact that the Iranians had tried to kill him. There was a plot in 2024, an Iranian plot to try to kill Trump, and he said of the Ayatollah, I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first.”
How Long Will the War Last?
Trump admitted he had originally expected the conflict to wrap up in four to five weeks, but suggested it could end sooner. At the same time, he made it clear he was prepared to stay the course if the situation demanded a longer campaign.
On American Casualties
Three Americans lost their lives in the conflict. When asked about them, Trump’s response was blunt and soldier-like. According to Karl:
“It’s war, and you have casualties in war.”
Karl also noted that Trump seemed almost proud of keeping the overall casualty count low across multiple major operations:
“He marvelled at the fact that with all the operations he has conducted as president in Venezuela, the one last summer in Iran, and this one, that the total casualty count, American casualties, is three.”
What Happened — A Quick Recap
In late February, the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran under an operation called Operation Epic Fury. The strikes killed Khamenei along with several top military and government figures, and targeted key infrastructure across the country.
Iran hit back hard — firing barrages of missiles at Israel and attacking American bases and interests across the Gulf region, including in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Following Khamenei’s death, Iran appointed senior cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi as part of a temporary leadership arrangement while a permanent successor is being decided.
Tehran has firmly stated it will not negotiate with the United States — a significant stance given that diplomatic talks around a nuclear deal were already in progress when the strikes happened.
The Bigger Picture
Both the US and Israel have described the military campaign as a preventive move — aimed at stopping Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons, which they argue would be a serious threat to global security.
Whether the world agrees with that framing or not, one thing is certain — the Middle East has changed dramatically, and Trump’s words make it clear that as far as he is concerned, this was a fight he was always going to finish.
