The United States government has denied taking part in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a deadly strike carried out over the weekend.
Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, a senior Pentagon official, Elbridge Colby, said the operation that led to Khamenei’s death was conducted by Israel and was not connected to any American military mission.
He explained that the action was an Israeli operation and not part of Washington’s campaign in the region.
Colby made this known while responding to questions from lawmakers who wanted to know if the United States was seeking a change of government in Iran.
He stated that such an objective was not behind American actions.
According to him, the main focus of the United States has been Iran’s growing missile programme, its weapons production capacity, and parts of its naval strength.
He described these as clear and achievable military targets.
“Those are Israeli operations. Our targets are Iran’s missile capabilities, their growing ability to build those weapons, and parts of their navy. These are doable and reasonable targets that can be achieved,” Colby said.
His remarks appeared to differ from earlier comments made by President Donald Trump, who had suggested that Khamenei could not escape the reach of American intelligence and tracking systems.
Trump had also spoken about close cooperation between the United States and Israel, noting that Iran’s leadership was under pressure due to joint efforts.
Despite those earlier statements, Colby insisted that the strike that killed Khamenei and other senior Iranian figures was solely Israel’s responsibility.
The attack claimed the lives of Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law.
The Israeli military also announced that Ali Shamkhani, described as a close adviser to the late Iranian leader, was killed.
In addition, General Mohammad Pakpour, who headed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was said to have died in the same wave of strikes.
American officials further disclosed that more than 49 high-ranking members of Iran’s military have been eliminated since the operations began.
