Iranian Retaliation Calls Escalate Amid Mutual Assassination Threats

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called early Monday for the Supreme National Security Council or parliament to approve in advance how Tehran would respond to any attempt to assassinate Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei or senior military and civilian officials. He said such retaliation should be predetermined rather than improvised after an attack. His proposal follows Khamenei's written vow to avenge Israel's killing of his father and President Donald Trump's public claim that U.S. forces have standing instructions to strike Iran if Tehran kills him. No Iranian body had approved Gharibabadi's proposal at publication time.