President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that he is an “easy target” and “our patience is wearing thin,” before demanding Tehran surrender in its escalating conflict with Israel.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” he wrote after declaring “total control” over Iran’s airspace.
“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.”
Trump in a subsequent post made clear what he does want from Iran: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One after departing early from the the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington, June 17, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
The Trump administration has insisted that the U.S. is not directly involved in what Israel called a preemptive strike against Iran on Friday, which kicked off five days of missile fire between the two regional powers.
But Trump’s latest comments suggest the U.S. is now at least willing to threaten direct military intervention as it backs Israel’s effort to bring Tehran to heel.
The U.S. president’s threat against Khamenei came two days after news outlets reported that Trump had vetoed a plan by Israel to assassinate the ayatollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday downplayed his reported disagreement with Trump over Khamenei, saying, “I wouldn’t rush to conclusions.”
The New York Times reported Monday that Trump is weighing whether to help Israel destroy Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, which could only be accomplished with the U.S.’ biggest “bunker buster” bomb.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on that report, or on other questions about the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation on Iranian state television broadcast in Tehran, Iran on June 13, 2025.
Iranian Leader Press Office | Anadolu | Getty Images
U.S. stocks slid Tuesday afternoon as the geopolitical tensions mounted. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 300 points, or 0.7%, while the S&P 500 declined 0.8% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.9%.
Crude oil futures jumped more than 3% to above $74 per barrel around 2 p.m. ET.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, is moving more warships and another aircraft carrier to the Middle East, NBC News reported Tuesday. The U.S. previously deployed military assets to the region to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles and projectiles, according to NBC.
Trump is expected to hold a meeting in the Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Israel-Iran conflict with his top national security advisors.
On Monday, Trump abruptly returned to Washington, D.C., from Canada, where he had traveled for a meeting of the Group of Seven nations.
Before he left, Trump criticized the G7 for kicking Russia out of the group in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea.
Trump teed up Tuesday’s threat against Khamenei with an earlier social media post declaring, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
Tehran “had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff,'” Trump wrote.
“Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
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