The United States did not rule out the possibility of striking the supreme leader of Iran.

The US authorities are considering the possibility of launching a direct strike against Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was reported by the Politico newspaper on February 26, citing an unnamed American official familiar with the discussions.

"The option is a "strike to remove the top," that is, a strike against Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei," the article says.

As the newspaper notes, when making such a decision, the American administration faces two key risks. The first concerns the possible depletion of American weapons stocks. The second critical factor is the high probability of casualties among the United States military if Washington chooses the most aggressive course of action against Tehran.

For example, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, expressed concern about the shortage of anti-aircraft missile systems in the US Armed Forces.

"Experts believe that the state of Iran's arsenal of air and ballistic missiles, as well as any further American strikes, may also affect how much the US air defense system will be involved," the publication clarifies.

If there is a war tomorrow: what will be the US attack on Iran and how will it affect the situation in the region

Trump's threats to use force against Tehran have scared the whole world

US Vice President Jay Dee Vance said yesterday that US leader Donald Trump wants to resolve the problem with Iran diplomatically, but he has "other options." In addition, he added that Iran's attempts to restore nuclear weapons could provoke problems for the United States.

On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced the resumption of talks between Tehran and Washington. He specified that the delegation of his State would strive for a peaceful settlement of any differences. On February 22, he said that his colleagues were working on a draft of a potential proposal, taking into account the interests of both sides.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said on February 19 that Russia sees an "unprecedented escalation" around Iran and hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict with the United States.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.