In the early hours of 28/2, a series of precision missiles and guided bombs struck three locations in Tehran, including the site where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was meeting with senior officials. Khamenei and several other high-ranking Iranian officials were confirmed dead in the coordinated attack, which followed a period of intense diplomatic maneuvering and shifting military strategies by the United States.

The path to this decisive strike began in late December 2025, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, amid escalating protests across Iran. During their meeting, Netanyahu discussed follow-up actions to a 12-day conflict targeting Iran's nuclear program in June 2025, according to Axios, a publication known for its behind-the-scenes reporting on US politics. This time, the Israeli prime minister focused on Iran's ballistic missile program, which was perceived as a threat to targets across the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and US President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Florida, on 29/12/2025. Photo: AFP

President Trump reportedly agreed with Netanyahu’s assessment, and the two leaders outlined a plan to attack Iran in May. In the subsequent days, as protests in Iran turned into bloody clashes between citizens and security forces, resulting in thousands of deaths, Trump increasingly considered military options. White House sources indicate that the US president had intended to order airstrikes against Iran on 14/1 but changed his mind at the last minute. This reversal was likely due to the unpreparedness of air defense systems belonging to Israel and its Arab allies in the Middle East to counter a potential Iranian missile response.

Following this, Trump deployed a large fleet to the Middle East and reinforced missile defense capabilities at US bases in the region. Simultaneously, the US began to develop detailed plans for a coordinated attack on Iran with Israel. During these preparations, Trump also decided to initiate negotiations with Iran, aiming to pressure Tehran into abandoning uranium enrichment and restricting its ballistic missile program. Three US and Israeli officials confirmed that these dialogues were not a feint to surprise Tehran.

One week before the second round of negotiations in Geneva on 26/2, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) obtained intelligence that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had convened a meeting with senior officials at a location in central Tehran on 28/2. US and Israeli intelligence then agreed that this presented an opportunity for a targeted strike.

Despite the intelligence, two of Trump’s aides, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, participated in negotiations with the Iranian delegation on 26/2. While they did not expect to reach an agreement, their presence was a crucial factor in ensuring Khamenei would proceed with his meeting rather than taking refuge in a bunker. In the meeting room, Kushner and Witkoff presented several "flexible" proposals but received no agreement from the Iranian side. After the first session, they called US Vice President JD Vance via a secure line, reporting significant disagreements. The second discussion that evening yielded no breakthrough.

Locations of Iran's nuclear facilities. Graphic: AFP

"The Iranian proposals were seen as meaningless and merely aimed at stalling. There was no basis for continued cooperation," a senior US official told Axios. According to officials, Iran and the US had three major disagreements. The US proposed that Iran abandon uranium enrichment in exchange for Washington providing free nuclear fuel for Tehran's civilian nuclear program, an idea Iran flatly rejected. They also refused to discuss Iran's ballistic missile capabilities or Tehran's support for militant groups in the Middle East that the US considers terrorist organizations.

During the negotiations, US intelligence assessed that Iran was rebuilding nuclear facilities previously struck by US bombers in June 2025. "We reported that to the President, and he clearly considered different options," the US official stated. Kushner and Witkoff requested a concrete proposal from Iran. The Iranian delegation subsequently sent a seven-page document explaining the level of uranium enrichment necessary for their civilian program. The White House reviewed the data with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agency indicated that Iran's proposal would allow them to enrich uranium at five times the level permitted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed during former President Barack Obama's administration in 2015.

The US and Israel then agreed to proceed with the attack. In the final hours, Oman’s foreign minister flew to Washington, meeting Vice President Vance on 27/2 to delay Trump's decision, but the US president had already made up his mind. On the morning of 28/2, Iran's Supreme Leader still met with his senior aides as planned. Two other meetings of Iranian security and intelligence officials also took place in above-ground buildings at two other locations in Tehran.

Moment Israel struck targets in Iran. Video: IDF

A few minutes later, all three locations were hit by a barrage of Israeli missiles and precision-guided bombs, leading to the confirmed deaths of Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials. "If the Iranian side had come to Geneva and given President Trump what he wanted, he would have halted the military option. But they thought he wouldn't act, and they were wrong," an Israeli intelligence official told Axios.

Thanh Tam (According to Axios, Times of Israel)