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Trump Said US Intelligence Beat Iran—The Record Backs Him | Opinion

Trump Said US Intelligence Beat Iran—The Record Backs Him | Opinion

Summary

An American-led intelligence operation helped locate and kill Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February 2026. U.S. and Israeli intelligence worked together for years to track Iran’s leadership, leading to a key strike during a wider conflict in the region.

Key Facts

  • The CIA collected intelligence for months and shared it with Israel to find Khamenei’s location.
  • The strike that killed Khamenei was part of Operation Epic Fury.
  • President Donald Trump said U.S. intelligence systems tracked Khamenei successfully.
  • Israel gathered key intelligence over years, including removing nuclear archives in 2018 and killing Iranian figures in 2020 and 2024.
  • The 2026 conflict highlighted the difference between surveillance (watching one’s own people) and counterintelligence (detecting foreign spies), with Iran’s counterintelligence failing.
  • The war showed how strong intelligence can defeat attempts to conceal plans.
  • Former CIA director David Petraeus confirmed the operation was led by precise intelligence work.
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