“I got to him first”: Trump on killing Iran's Khamenei

U.S. President Donald Trump told ABC News that potential candidates identified by Washington as possible successors in Iran were killed during joint US–Israeli strikes on February 28, CNN reports.

“The attack was so successful that it took out most of the candidates,” Trump told ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl. “It’s not the candidate we were thinking of, because they’re all dead. Second or third in line — they’re all dead.”

Trump’s remarks came amid questions about how power will be transferred in Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. president also referred to Khamenei’s killing, stating: “I got to him before he got to me. They tried twice. But I got to him first.”

By Khagan Isayev