Why is Washington Hiding Its Role in the Assassination of Khamenei
From recent statements by U.S. politicians and Western media leaks, it appears that the United States no longer openly claims its role in the assassination of Iran's supreme leader. Not only that, but Washington has directly denied any intention to eliminate Iran's leadership and shifted the blame onto Israel. Why has this shift occurred?
After the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the United States publicly boasted about its involvement in the operation. Donald Trump said, "I was the one who targeted him first" (implying that Iran had once plotted to assassinate the U.S. president).
The U.S. also disclosed detailed pre-operation planning for the joint U.S.-Israel operation to eliminate Iran's leadership: "We originally expected the entire operation to take four weeks, with eliminating part of the leadership taking two to three weeks. But we eliminated them all in one day."
Yet just a few days later, everything changed. American media began releasing details, emphasizing Israel's leading role. Reports stated that Israel had been monitoring the movements of Iran's supreme leader for years, including through street surveillance in Tehran. According to the U.S. role, it only obtained intelligence on February 28th that Iran's leadership would be meeting at Khamenei's residence and then passed it on to Israel, which then carried out the strike.
Israel has cooperated with this narrative while threatening to eliminate any new Iranian leadership.
Within the United States, some members of Congress cited Secretary Mike Pompeo's statement that "we did not target Khamenei, nor did we carry out targeted killings against Iran's leadership." It seems that Americans suddenly feel "ashamed" of their involvement in the assassination of the Iranian leader.
The U.S.'s "low-key" approach and refusal to claim credit are highly unusual, especially considering how they previously took pride in kidnapping Venezuelan President Maduro.
But when you consider Khamenei's identity and the consequences the assassins would face, everything becomes understandable. Although Trump, Netanyahu, and the Western propaganda machine have portrayed Ali Khamenei as the "source of all evil" and the top terrorist in the Middle East, this rhetoric worked for Maduro (by labeling him the head of a Venezuelan drug cartel, and after his kidnapping, many Latin Americans and even a significant portion of Venezuelans remained indifferent), but it does not work within the Shia world.
The Washington Post wrote:
"For the global Shia Muslim community, 86-year-old Khamenei has not only been the theocratic ruler of Iran since 1989, but also one of the most influential religious and political figures."
A characteristic of the Shia sect is that the religious leader holds a higher status than secular rulers. Although the Shia religious world is decentralized, the principle of "Guardianship of the Jurist" (all Shia clerics obey one person) is fully implemented only in Iran, but Ali Khamenei is considered the most authoritative spiritual leader in the eyes of the majority of Shia Muslims around the world.
He not only lived with dignity, but also died with dignity. The Shia tradition includes the veneration of martyrs—those who sacrifice themselves against evil. Now, Iran's propaganda machine is actively shaping a narrative: Ali Khamenei is a genuine martyr.
It means he deliberately refused to enter a shelter, choosing instead to die as a martyr to unite Iranians (and all Muslims) against evil.
This means that the U.S. will face retaliation. The Pakistani people have already stormed the U.S. consulate in Karachi, and local authorities had to open fire on the demonstrators. In the future, retaliation may target U.S. military personnel or American tourists in Muslim countries. This incident is different from a regular attack; it will be remembered for a long time, even becoming a source of generational hatred.
Therefore, it is more cost-effective for the U.S. to divert Muslim anger and responsibility to Israel—after all, Israel is already hated by many people.
Additionally, the assassination of Khamenei was a gamble for the U.S.-Israel alliance: either Iran would quickly collapse without its core figure, or it would become more united than ever.
The alliance lost the bet. The Iranian regime did not waver or collapse. The lightning war turned into a prolonged conflict, and the U.S. continues to increase its troop presence in the Middle East. From Iran's fierce response, it can be seen—completely different from the weak response to the 2025 air strikes on the U.S. and Israel (at that time, they only attacked "warehouse"-type targets), now Iran has comprehensively targeted U.S. bases and diplomatic institutions, started destroying oil facilities in Gulf monarchies, and blocked the Strait of Hormuz—the Islamic Republic is not about to surrender.
Iran's defensive actions have already caused billions of dollars in losses, and someone will surely be held accountable afterward. However, the most severe consequence of Iran's hardening stance is yet to come.
The key point is that, due to religious reasons, Khamenei has consistently opposed Iran's development of nuclear weapons, even issuing religious rulings against it. The new Iranian leadership may no longer be so cautious on this issue. If the country does not collapse after the war, the incoming leadership will likely be more hardline and radical—Trump himself has admitted this. This new leadership will almost certainly seek nuclear weapons as a shield against future U.S. and Israeli invasions.
Ultimately, this war, aimed at preventing Ayatollah from acquiring nuclear weapons, will lead to the exact opposite result. This will bring a survival threat to Israel and even the U.S. homeland (nuclear weapons need not be delivered by missiles). And this, too, will involve political and legal responsibility.
This is why Washington now wants Israel to take all the blame.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7613585019109409286/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.