President Donald Trump said Sunday that he acted decisively against Iran’s leadership, asserting that he moved before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could carry out what he described as another attempt on his life.

“I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News.

His comments come as U.S. military operations against Iran intensify and as renewed attention focuses on allegations that Tehran sought to target him during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Last year, federal prosecutors announced charges against several individuals accused of involvement in assassination schemes allegedly connected to Iran and aimed at then-candidate Trump.

The Justice Department stated that individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to recruit people inside the United States to execute attacks. Authorities said the alleged plans were in retaliation for the 2020 American drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

In one instance, officials said a suspect sought to contract individuals who turned out to be undercover FBI agents in what became a law enforcement sting operation.

Prosecutors characterized the alleged activity as part of a wider Iranian effort to target both current and former U.S. officials. Iranian authorities have denied any role in the reported plots.

Trump said Sunday that the latest American military action significantly altered Iran’s leadership landscape.

He also told ABC News that individuals previously viewed as possible successors within Iran’s ruling structure had already been identified prior to the strikes but were killed during the initial phase of the assault.

“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump said. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.”

{Matzav.com}