US Denies Killing Iran Leader Khamenei, Other Top Officials, Mentions Those Involved in Major Strike
- The Pentagon has clarified that Israel carried out the strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not the US
- According to the Pentagon, the US military has only concentrated on targeting Iran’s missile and naval systems without striking the top leaders
- Lawmakers questioned the Pentagon on Iran's objectives as the officials carefully distinguished the US role from Israeli actions
The United States has denied playing any role in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Source: Getty Images
On Tuesday, March 3, the Pentagon’s top policy official, Elbridge Colby, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Khamenei died in an Israeli strike, not an American one.
“Those are Israeli operations,” Colby said clearly when lawmakers questioned him about the attack.
According to him, the strike that killed Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders was not part of the US military campaign.
Some senators asked whether the United States was trying to remove Iran’s leadership from power. Colby avoided that suggestion and explained that he was only speaking about the goals of the American mission.
US military's goals in Iran explained
According to him, the US military's focus has been on weakening Iran’s missile strength. He said Iran’s missile programme had grown significantly in recent years.
The US, he explained, is targeting Iran’s missile systems, its ability to produce those weapons, and parts of its navy.
He described these goals as “scoped and reasonable objectives that can be attained.”
Colby’s calm and careful response was very different from President Donald Trump’s tone, which has spoken about the conflict in bold, victorious language since the strikes began.
In a post on social media, Trump claimed Khamenei was “unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems.”
He also said that “working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”
However, when Senator Jack Reed, the committee’s top Democrat, asked how the death of Iran’s top leader matched America’s stated military goals, Colby repeated that he was “talking about the goals of the American military campaign,” again distancing the United States from the specific strike that killed Khamenei.
Source: Getty Images
Read more on US-Iran war below:
- Three US Service Members Killed in War Amid Escalating Iran Conflict, Government Reacts
- US Issues Security Alert for Citizens in Nigeria As Iran Conflict Escalates
Six US troops killed in Kuwait strike
Previously, Legit.ng reported that six United States service members died after a direct Iranian strike hit a temporary operations centre at Shuaiba Port, Kuwait, marking the first American combat fatalities in Operation Epic Fury.
The attack, reportedly a drone strike, hit a makeshift triple-wide trailer without warning and caused severe structural damage. Additional troops were wounded, and the names of the fallen were withheld pending family notification.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the fatalities and serious injuries, while US officials warned that hostilities may continue.
The escalation comes amid ongoing US-Iran tensions following coordinated strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and other top officials.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
