{"id":2575158,"date":"2026-03-02T11:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-wh-identified-ayatollahs-potential-successors-first-strike-was-so-successful-they-are-all-dead\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:12:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:12:46","slug":"trump-wh-identified-ayatollahs-potential-successors-first-strike-was-so-successful-they-are-all-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-wh-identified-ayatollahs-potential-successors-first-strike-was-so-successful-they-are-all-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump: WH Identified Ayatollah&#8217;s Potential Successors, First Strike Was So Successful &#8216;They Are All Dead&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-wh-identified-ayatollahs-potential-successors-first-strike-was-so-successful-they-are-all-dead%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2575158&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article centers on the opening phase of \u201cOperation Epic Fury,\u201d described as a US-Israeli strike aimed at Iran\u2019s leadership. It reports that President Trump told ABC\u2019s Jonathan Karl that key Iranian officials who could be successors to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were killed, with Trump claiming the attack \u201cknocked out\u201d most candidates.Various outlets are cited with differing casualty tallies: The new York Times says at least seven top Iranian military leaders were killed; The Guardian reports 48 senior Iranian leaders killed; Israel estimates around 40 commanders killed; CBS references CIA intelligence suggesting Khamenei\u2019s movements were tracked and that the timing of the attack was adjusted accordingly. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >initial action reportedly involved<\/a> three B-1B bombers from the united States targeting above-ground ballistic missile and command-and-control sites in Iran. The piece also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-finds-fewer-than-100-troops-engaged-in-extremist-activity-in-past-year\/\" title=\"Pentagon Finds &#039;Fewer than 100&#039; Troops Engaged in Extremist Activity in Past Year\">includes social media<\/a> and video embeds (tweets, youtube clips) and notes ongoing coverage from sources like The New York Times, The Guardian, CBS, and The Times of Israel.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The opening phase of Operation Epic Fury has torn gaping holes in Iran&rsquo;s leadership.<\/p>\n<p>ABC reporter Jonathan Karl said he was told by President Donald Trump that key Iranian officials who were considered successors to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are now dead.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He said they had identified some possible candidates within the structure of the Iranian government,&rdquo; Karl said he was told by Trump, according to a video posted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1KtaBghfvwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,&rdquo; Karl cited Trump as saying.<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title='President Trump says attack on Iran \"knocked out\" most candidates who could lead the country' width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1KtaBghfvwo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He told me that somebody within the Iranian government has reached out to him,&rdquo; Karl added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I asked him who it was. He said, &lsquo;I probably shouldn&rsquo;t tell you,&rsquo; but it was, you know, somebody who had survived, and somebody who he added is no longer reporting to the Supreme Leader,&rdquo; Karl said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Pres Trump told me tonight the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,&rdquo; Trump told me. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jonkarl\/status\/2028299468223676673?\">March 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A report in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/28\/world\/middleeast\/iran-leadership-khamenei-shamkhani-pakpour-nasirzadeh.html\">The New York Times<\/a> indicated that at least seven <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-graham-we-should-take-back-bagram-afb\/\" title=\"Sen. Graham: We should take back Bagram AFB\">top military leaders<\/a> in Iran were killed.<\/p>\n<p>In summing up what Trump told various media outlets, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/01\/supreme-leader-killed-as-us-and-israel-wage-war-on-iran-what-we-know-so-far-on-day-two\">The Guardian<\/a> reported that he said 48 senior Iranian leaders were killed.<\/p>\n<p>Israel meanwhile estimated that 40 of what it called &ldquo;commanders&rdquo; were killed in the attacks. Iran has acknowledged several top commanders were killed.<\/p>\n<p>Chief among the Iranian dead was Khamenei, whose death Saturday in the opening moments of the initial Israel attack on Tehran was the product of CIA intelligence reports d with Israel, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/cia-intelligence-us-israel-strike-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-iran\/\">CBS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Citing sources it did not name, CBS said the CIA had been tracking Khamenei&rsquo;s movements for months. The CIA learned that Khamenei would attend a Saturday morning meeting in a Tehran location.<\/p>\n<p>The intelligence was passed to Israel, the timing of the attack was adjusted to take advantage of the report, and the mission that carried out the attack was successful.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OperationEpicFury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OperationEpicFury<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FreeIran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreeIran<\/a><br \/>  &ldquo;OPERATION EPIC FURY&rdquo; BOMBER MISSION #2<br \/> I can confirm that 3x B-1B &ldquo;Lancer&rdquo; bombers from Ellsworth AFB have conducted strikes against Iran regime targets overnight after a non-stop flight from the United States. This is the second bombing mission we&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kMZfroiiIu\">pic.twitter.com\/kMZfroiiIu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; DefenceGeek &#127468;&#127463; (@DefenceGeek) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DefenceGeek\/status\/2028422504218267912?\">March 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The initial attack included three B-1 bombers based in the United States, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/b-1-heavy-bombers-flew-from-us-to-carry-out-strikes-in-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Times of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The B-1s were used to attack &ldquo;above-ground ballistic missile and command and control sites in Iran,&rdquo; a U.S. official said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The early phase of Operation Epic Fury has seriously damaged Iran\u2019s leadership. ABC\u2019s Jonathan Karl quotes President Donald Trump as saying that several officials who could have been successors to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are now dead, and that enough candidates within Iran\u2019s government were identified to be knocked out by the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Karl also relays that Trump indicated someone inside the Iranian government had reached out to him; when pressed about who it was, Trump said he shouldn\u2019t say, but that the person had survived and no longer reports to the Supreme Leader. Trump reportedly told Karl that the United States had pinpointed possible successors, though they were killed in the initial strike, making it unlikely those targets were the ones Trump had in mind.<\/p>\n<p>A New York Times report cited claims that at least seven top Iranian military leaders were killed, while The Guardian summarized Trump as saying 48 senior Iranian leaders were killed. Israel estimated that about 40 \u201ccommanders\u201d were killed. Iran acknowledged that several top commanders were killed.<\/p>\n<p>Among those reported dead was Khamenei, with CBS citing CIA intelligence that tracked his movements for months and suggesting the timing of the Tehran attack was coordinated with that intelligence; the mission, CBS said, was successful.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative has included hashtags like #OperationEpicFury and #FreeIran, and social-media posts claimed that three B-1B \u201cLancer\u201d bombers from Ellsworth AFB conducted strikes on regime targets overnight after a non-stop flight from the United States. The Times of Israel also said the initial attack involved three B-1 bombers targeting above-ground ballistic missiles and command-and-control sites in Iran<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2575159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-02T090144.724.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6091,74886,70970,74885,3634],"class_list":["post-2575158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ayatollah","tag-first-strike","tag-middleeast","tag-successors","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-02T090144.724.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2575158"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2575162,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575158\/revisions\/2575162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2575159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2575158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2575158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2575158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}