If asked to join an operation to kill Irans Supreme Leader, former US Navy SEAL Rob ONeill says he would be ready.
The decorated veteran – who shot Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in one of the most famous raids in US military history – exclusively told the Daily Mail that his boots still fit when asked about a potential mission targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But the 49-year-old ex-soldier issued a stern warning to the eager politicians, pundits and war hawks after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Irans nuclear facilities over the weekend.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, ONeill expressed support for Trumps measured approach to the Islamic Republics regime after the bombings over the weekend, but warned of the significant costs to America if there is a wider war.
The Silver Star winner also cautioned that if special forces were on the ground, even to check the extent of the damage to the nuclear sites, the US could be dragged into a situation similar to Afghanistan.
He wants to end wars – not start another one, ONeill, who hosts a podcast called The Operator and is a TV regular, said of Trump.
But there are factions (in the US) that do want war. And too many people have forgotten what war actually looks like.
When it comes to killing the Ayatollah, ONeill said it is all about opportunity and considering the consequences, including the question of who would take power.
The decorated Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in one of the most famous raids in US military history told the Daily Mail that his boots still fit when asked about a potential mission targeting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pictured: former US Navy SEAL Rob ONeill
He believes it would be a stealth operation – with a drone or precision strike – rather than with an operation similar to the raid where the US took out Bin Laden.
And Trump has a bargaining chip up his sleeve when it comes to negotiations, according to ONeill: Warning the Supreme Leader that U.S. and its allies know his exact location.
The president said on Friday that he saved Khamenei from a very ugly and ignominious death by not letting American or Isareli armed forces eliminate him.
ONeill is best known for ending the 10-year manhunt for 9/11 mastermind and head of Al Qaeda in 2011, when he and members of SEAL Team Six stormed a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and ONeill pulled the trigger.
The mission was the result of meticulous planning, weeks of training and grueling intelligence gathering throughout a decade-long CIA operation.
After B-2 bombers dropped the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker busters last weekend, Trump said Irans nuclear capabilities had been obliterated.
The current debate in Washington and around the world is just how much of the Islamic Republics underground mountain labs have been damaged.
The CIA, Israeli intelligence and even Iran have backed up Trump’s claims that the facilities were badly damaged.
But there are concerns over a stockpile of uranium – believed to be enough to produce a nuclear weapon – that is supposedly missing.
There are also questions over how long it would take Iran to get to a point where they could restart their potentially deadly program.
Focus is also shifting to the rule of Ayatollah Khamenei and the oppressive regime that has been in power since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Khamenei has been in hiding in a bunker since the start of the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.
On Thursday he crawled out to make his first public statement on the bombing, warning the US would pay.
Trump has said he doesn’t back a regime change in Iran and is working to finalize a nuclear deal, with peace talks set for next week.
But O’Neill said the US strikes on Iran could just be the first step.
If you hit them, you dont walk away; you finish the job. That means the regime is gone. Thats the cost. And nobody wants to talk about it because its not convenient.
ONeill has seen the consequences of war firsthand.
He served in more than 400 combat missions over 16 years, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, and took part in the rescue missions of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates and Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell in Afghanistan.
Trump has insisted the last thing he wants is boots on the ground in Iran.
But an Iranian response and uncertainty surrounding the aftermath of a strike could still prompt further involvement by the US military, especially if any ceasefire or deal is broken.
Reflecting on his younger self in the aftermath of 9/11, ONeill admitted: I was so pro-war I would have invaded any country.
But now, pushing 50, Ive seen what war really does. Im not anti-war, Im just a thinker now. We should be serious about what it means.
Im serious about war, because the veterans who went to Iraq and Afghanistan and saw their buddies blown in half are still dealing with the trauma now.
He also warned of what happens when things go wrong.
Power vacuums in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya following US interventions have allowed terrorist groups to thrive and opened the door to foreign adversaries, particularly China.
But the 49-year-old veteran (pictured) issued a stern warning to the politicians, pundits and war hawks eager for Donald Trump to launch a strike on Tehrans nuclear facilities or assassinate its top leader
In an interview with the Daily Mail, ONeill (pictured) expressed support for President Trumps decision to delay any military action for up to two weeks
And in the four years since the US withdrawal from Kabul, Al Qaeda has already seen a resurgence in Afghanistan under the Taliban government.
The long game, ONeill said, isnt being considered.
If you topple the regime and Iran, whos going to take over? Are we going to install a US puppet, like weve done before, because weve been to Iran a couple of times, he said.
Do we just let ISIS take over, like what eventually happened in Iraq?
Saddam Husseins regime was toppled shortly after a US-led coalition invaded Iraq in 2003.
What followed was the rise to prominence of the jihadist group the Islamic State, and many of its top decision makers came from Husseins military or security service.
ONeill suggested sleeper cells entered the US through its borders under President Joe Biden, and believes a strike on Iran could provoke retaliatory terrorist attacks on American soil.
At what point, he asked, does Iran activate the terrorists that came across the border?
The terrorists only have to be right once. Were vulnerable – schools, hospitals, malls. I dont like to be a doomsday guy, but Ive been right before, and sometimes it sucks.
As a stark reminder, he said Iran had a hand in the Taliban making fake passports after Western forces left Afghanistan.
The potential global implications of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East have been mostly ignored, ONeill said.
Russia has already warned Trump against direct involvement in Iran and China has offered to be a mediator between Israel and Iran in peace talks.
Several Boeing 747s have also reportedly been spotted on radar leaving China and heading for Iran in the last week, fueling speculation of assistance from Beijing.
Iran is the number one supplier of oil to China through the black market. So now Chinas concerned because theyre not producing oil, ONeill claimed.
He continued, adding that People throw around “World War III” like its a movie title.
But nobodys really allies. If a nuke goes off, even by accident, it sets off a chain of launches. The world as we know it ends.
As for the war hawks who pushed for the strikes, ONeill has little patience.
When you hear someone called a war hawk, I guarantee theyve never been to war. They dont live with the trauma, the funerals or the families left behind.
He was particularly critical of Senator Ted Cruz, who he said was embarrassed in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson due to his lack of basic knowledge about Iran and the Middle East.
Tucker destroyed him with facts, ONeill said. You cant make war decisions without understanding the terrain, the players and the history. But thats exactly what we keep doing.
While Trump holds the cards, ONeill says he needs to hear all the options going forward on any further military action – even from those who dont back military action.
No one should be in a room where everyone agrees. Thats the downfall of any empire. Trumps instincts are good, but the MAGA base shouldnt support him unconditionally on this. They should ask, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
Trump said on Friday that Tehran has the materials and the ability to develop a warhead in a matter of weeks or months
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (pictured) has vowed to never surrender and has warned the US of irreparable damage if it intervenes
ONeill is best known for ending the 10-year manhunt for 9/11 mastermind and head of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden (pictured)
He also defended Trumps Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who has faced criticism over his lack of Pentagon experience.
The Pentagon hasnt won a war since World War II, he said. Maybe we need a fresh perspective.
Despite his restraint, ONeill says he is still an unapologetic American with years of experience in lethal special operations missions.
If they find the Ayatollah and they need someone, he said, Im just saying, the boots still fit.
