Bans Israel from Killing Khamenei, Trump Wants to Avoid Major War

WASHINGTON DC, MONDAY - United States President Donald Trump is making significant efforts to control the direction of the Israel-Iran conflict. One of these efforts includes rejecting the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel continues to urge direct involvement from the United States.

Reuters reported on Monday (16/5/2025), Israel claimed to have had the opportunity to kill Khamenei since the beginning of the attack. However, Trump rejected the attack.

"We conveyed to Israel that President Trump rejected that. Iran has not killed any American citizens, and discussions among political leaders should not occur," said a U.S. official who requested anonymity.

The official stated that Trump's rejection is part of efforts to prevent the escalation of war between Israel and Iran. Trump still hopes that a diplomatic solution is possible for the issue concerning Iran.

The acknowledgment from the official adds evidence that the US-Israel continues to coordinate attacks on Iran. Several US-Israel officials have admitted this multiple times. Trump also stated that he was aware Israel would attack Iran before the assault was carried out.

Meanwhile, Trump stated on Sunday afternoon in Washington DC that the US could potentially become directly involved in the war. However, he remains restrained and continues to believe that there are still opportunities for a diplomatic solution.

"I hope there will be an agreement. I think it is time to reach a consensus, and we will see that materialize. However, sometimes they must go to war," he said.

On the other hand, he refused to answer whether he had asked Israel to stop the attacks on Iran. Since the beginning of the Israeli attacks, he referred to it as an internal decision of Tel Aviv.

The United States has maintained that stance from the beginning. Less than 20 minutes after the first missile from Israel exploded in Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Israel acted independently.

However, hours later, reports emerged that Israel was continuing to coordinate attacks with the US. Several US-Israeli officials confirmed the coordination.

Furthermore, the United States increased its supply of weapons to Israel before the attack was launched. The United States also intercepted missiles and drones from Iran aimed at Israel.

For Israel, all that is not enough. Israel wants the US to join in attacking Iran directly. Since Iran began retaliating on Friday morning, Israel has been increasingly begging the US to join in the attack.

One of Israel's demands is for the US to strike Iran's nuclear facilities with bunker-busting bombs. Israel does not possess such bombs. The US has them and is unwilling to provide them to other countries. The US maintains its stance of not wanting to be directly involved in the war.

"They (Israel) underestimated Iran's ability to reorganize after Israel targeted Iran's top military commander," Trita Parsi, vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (QIPR), told CNN.

Israel, Parsi said, is too quick to assume that the assassination of generals and nuclear scientists will weaken Iran. "Now, we see Iranian missiles penetrating Israel's layered air defenses," he stated.

Israel has an air defense layer. Electronically, Israel possesses large-scale signal jammers. Over the past two years, there have been repeated disruptions to navigation signals in Israel. Ships and commercial aircraft often circle aimlessly due to signal interference.

Jammers have been deployed to disrupt the missiles and drones of Israel's adversaries. However, various missiles and drones from Iran and its allies continue to enhance their capabilities. This improvement includes resistance to the signal jamming by Israel and its allies.

Another defense implemented by Israel is based on rockets and missiles. Israel has a range of hundreds of meters to 2,000 kilometers.

The longest-range interceptor, Arrow-3, can track and destroy incoming projectiles at distances of up to 2,000 kilometers. The shortest-range interceptor, Iron Dome, can intercept incoming projectiles at distances ranging from 500 meters to 13 kilometers.

Israel is still being assisted by the United States, and Jordan is intercepting Iranian attack devices. In the skies over Jordan, some Iranian missiles and drones have been intercepted.

Nevertheless, many Iranian missiles continue to bring terror to various cities in Israel. Iran targets military and defense facilities in Israel. These various facilities are built amidst residential areas and business centers.

The Israeli military, Tzahal, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense are headquartered in the HaKriya area of Tel Aviv. This area is located in the heart of Tel Aviv and stands amidst various office towers.

Iran's attack early Monday morning included crippling the electrical system in central Israel. The number of fatalities and injuries in Israel continues to rise as a result of the Iranian assault.

Tzahal has prohibited citizens from disseminating photos and videos of the impacts of the Iranian attacks. Nevertheless, such photos and videos continue to circulate on social media.

Some netizens responded by stating: this is what Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen feel every day due to Israeli attacks.

Residents of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod, and several cities in Israel had to spend the night in shelters. Tzahal prohibited citizens from leaving the shelters as missiles and Iranian drones continued to arrive.

Meanwhile, in Iran, Israel targets almost all cities and ports. Iran's largest port, Bandar Abbas, has been targeted multiple times by Israeli missiles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzahal stated that Iran targeted civilian settlements first. However, the first three waves of Israeli attacks also targeted civilian settlements. In fact, in the initial attack, 20 children were killed in one location of the Israeli bombing.

Now, Iran and Israel have both issued ultimatums to citizens in the target countries, asking them to stay away from vulnerable facilities.

In Iran, nuclear facilities, storage and production of weapons, as well as offices of defense agencies have become targets. In Israel, the targets include various air bases and offices of defense and security agencies. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)