Overview
- President Trump announced that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes, as exchanges with Iran continued across the region.
- U.S. Central Command reported at least three American service members killed since the hostilities began, while Iranian media reported heavy civilian losses, including a deadly strike on a girls’ school.
- On NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Lindsey Graham said there would be no American boots on the ground and argued it is not Washington’s job to choose Iran’s next leader.
- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly agreed Khamenei’s death removes a threat but said “hope is not a strategy,” pressing the White House to articulate objectives and address War Powers oversight.
- Sen. Tom Cotton said no large-scale ground deployment is planned, though he left open limited missions like search-and-rescue, and separate reporting described weeks of U.S.-Israel planning preceding failed Geneva talks.