Putin said he does not want to discuss the possibility of Israel and the United States assassinating Iran's supreme leader.

Gate News bot message, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday refused to discuss the possibility of Israel and the United States assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating that the Iranian people are rallying around the leadership in Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly speculated that a military strike by Israel could lead to a change of regime in Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. knows Khamenei's "hiding place," but Washington will "not" assassinate him "at this time."

When asked how he would react if Israel really assassinated Khamenei with the assistance of the United States, Putin replied: "I don't even want to discuss this possibility. I don't want to." When asked, Putin stated that he had heard comments about a possible assassination of Khamenei, but he did not want to discuss the issue. "We see that today in Iran, despite the complex internal political processes taking place there... society is uniting around the national political leadership," Putin said to senior news agency editors in the northern Russian city of St. Petersburg. Putin stated that all parties should seek ways to end hostilities to ensure Iran's right to peacefully use nuclear energy, as well as Israel's right to unconditional security as a Jewish state.