Iran Israel War: Will US support Israel's likely assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? JD Vance says...

United States' Vice President JD Vance has said that any possible assassination attempt on Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was "up to the Israelis," adding "we do not want a regime change" in the Islamic Republic. He made the comment in response to a question in an NBC interview after the US' overnight attack on multiple Iranian nuclear facilities. In the same interview, Vance said Washington's strikes on Iran have pushed back its nuclear programme by "many years."

Khamenei faces death threats
It should be noted that Israeli officials and even US President Donald Trump have hinted that Khamenei may be assassinated amid an increasingly intense conflict between Iran and Israel. In a statement on Thursday, the Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, remarked that Khamenei "can no longer be allowed to exist."
A few days ago, Trump had also indicated in a social media post that Khamenei could be killed in the near future.

Khamenei names his successors
Khamenei, 86, who has held the position of Iran's Supreme Leader for more than three decades since 1989, is presently living inside a deep bunker amid repeated death threats, as per reports. He has also named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him in case he is assassinated, as per a report by The New York Times. 

Hundreds killed in Iran-Israel conflict
In a nighttime operation, the US attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran, located in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. US officials say the attacks have "devastated" Iran's nuclear programme. This marks the US' direct involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, which erupted last week after the Jewish-majority nation launched a surprise attack on the Islamic Republic. Since the attacks began, over 400 people have been killed in Iran, while at least two dozens have died in Israel. But human rights groups say the death toll could be higher than officially reported.