Netanyahu Says Israel 'Won't Rule Out Killing Khamenei' as Iran Denies It Seeks Negotiations
Netanyahu says Israel 'well coordinated' with US during Iran campaign...
This article originally appeared on ZeroHedge and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Tyler Durden
Update(1422ET): Iran is warning of a 'more painful response' if the US fails to rein in Israel, IRNA News is reporting, as more major explosions have been observed in Tehran and across part of Iran. The last 48 hours saw things escalate into sustained daytime strikes, including on Iranian state TV and radio headquarters buildings.
Importantly the Iranian government is now expressly denying the accuracy of an earlier Wall Street Journal report saying that Tehran is seeking to get to the negotiating table again with the Trump administration. Iran is also claiming its forces shot down an Israeli F-35 stealth fighter near Tabriz, Iranโs state-run Nour news claims, but this has been met by a swift rejection by the IDF, which called it "fake news".
According to breaking Israeli media reports, PM Netanyahu now says Israel wonโt rule out killing Khamenei: โIt would end the conflictโ - TOI says. Netanyahu is giving his first official full press conference since the start of the air war four days ago. "I will not detail our plans publicly, but we will do whatever it takes," he said.
The entire morning drop in oil prices has been erased on these latest escalatory headlines:
And more per Israeli media:
An Israeli Air Force drone struck and destroyed two Iranian F-14 fighter jets at an airport in Tehran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reveals in a press conference.
The US-made F-14 Tomcats were supplied to Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and are believed to be the last ones still in operation.
The IDF publishes footage of the strike.
A veteran Mideast war correspondent who has contacts in the Iranian government has this to say:
Iranian state assets on fire during the day Monday...
Another US carrier is en route to the region and there's no off-ramp as of yet.
* * *
Update(1026ET): Below is Fox News' chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin confirming a major breaking development:
CONFIRMED: The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group is on its way to the Middle East from the South China Sea, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The Nimitz was previously scheduled to replace the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group which has been deployed for several months, but is now heading to the Middle East ahead of schedule. The two will now be in the Middle East at the same time. The USS Nimitz is the oldest active aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, commissioned on May 3, 1975. Scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026, this is possibly its final sea voyage. This is a very significant symbolic deployment because it was deployed in 1980 and its helicopters that were part of the failed US effort known as Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran. The US has been in a shadow war against Iran ever since.
Soon after this reporting:
IRAN IS PREPARING FOR THE 'LARGEST AND MOST INTENSE MISSILE ATTACK IN HISTORY ON ISRAELI SOIL' -IRANIAN STATE MEDIA
This comes on the heels of reports that the US Embassy in Tel Aviv suffered "minor damage" from a nearby Iranian ballistic missile impact. And Reuters confirms:
US military has moved a large number of refueling tanker craft to Europe to give options to US President Trump...
This likely won't end well, given the Times of Israel is now citing Israeli officials who say the operation is expected to last two to three weeks. "There's a bank of military targets that we can complete prettying quickly." Meanwhile Iranian reports are claiming that only some 5% of its offensive missile capacity has been used. Meanwhile:
IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS CALL ON TEL AVIV RESIDENTS TO EVACUATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE -IRANIAN STATE MEDIA
* * *
Update(1008ET): Everything is suddenly exploding higher - also with gold and oil dropping - especially on the following WSJ breaking report which suggests (dubiously, we should add...) that the Iranians are 'open' to returning to the negotiating table with Trump officials, even as ballistic missiles rain down on Israel, and as much of the Islamic Republic - particularly oil depots - burn...
"In the midst of a ferocious Israeli air campaign, Tehran has told Arab officials they would be open to return to the negotiating table as long as the U.S. doesnโt join the attack, the officials said. They also passed messages to Israel saying it is in the interest of both sides to keep the violence contained," per WSJ on Monday.
Oil prices tumbling on the breaking report...
WSJ continues, "Iran has been urgently signaling that it seeks an end to hostilities and resumption of talks over its nuclear programs, sending messages to Israel and the U.S. via Arab intermediaries, Middle Eastern and European officials said."
This comes also amid reports that dozens of US Air Force tankers have in the last hours taken off from the United States and headed towards Europe, as also confirmed in Flightradar24 and Air Live. Is Trump ready to join the Israeli side militarily? The Iranians fear so, it appears.
Iran's message is that "it is in the interest of both sides to keep the violence contained" - according to an urgeng diplomatic message passed along. But at this point it seems clear that Israel is going for full regime decapitation, given also that reports say the Israel Air Force has total aerial dominance over Western Iran and skies above Tehran at this point. If these reports of an Iranian olive branch are accurate, is it too-little-too-late?
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Wave of USAF Tankers Depart America Amid Escalating Israel-Iran Conflict
Republished from ZeroHedge.com
Israel's ongoing military campaign, Operation Rising Lion, has conducted coordinated precision strikes against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, crude oil export terminals, and high-value IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) targets since late last week. The scope and sequencing of these strikesโoutlined in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in October 2024โsuggest objectives that go well beyond deterrence, aiming instead to pave the way for regime change in Tehran.
Speaking Sunday, President Trump emphasized that the U.S. "is not involved" in Israel's strikes on Iranโadding, however, that "it's possible we could get involved."
"We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved," Trump told ABC News' Rachel Scott.
The president also took to Truth Social, positioning himself as mediator and de-escalator-in-chief, stating: "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal."
Even though President Trump is intent on avoiding a direct confrontation with Iran, any IRGC shift from striking Israel to targeting U.S. interests or personnel in the Middle East would likely escalate the conflict and sharply increase the odds of American intervention.
Overnight, several aviation tracking websites, including Flightradar24 and Air Live, reported that dozens of U.S. Air Force tankers took off from the U.S. and headed towards Europe.
Destinations are unknown for some, but the Boeing KC-46A and KC-135 aerial refueling tankers are critical aviation assets that extend the operational reach, endurance, and flexibility of fighter jets.
However...
The repositioning of USAF aerial refueling tankers strongly indicates that Western military planners are bracing for a sustained or broadening conflictโmeasured in weeks, not days. If that's the case, market overservers should take note: JPMorgan warns Brent crude futures could surge into triple-digit territory if the conflict deepens.
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