This article examines the phenomenon of United States involvement in operations to eliminate foreign leaders, which has gained renewed attention in connection with the dramatic events of 2025–2026—the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike. Based on analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international legal norms, the evolution of US approaches to using coercive methods for regime change is reconstructed. Particular attention is devoted to the contradiction between the official ban on political assassinations and the persistent practice of their application under new legal justifications.

This article examines the phenomenon of the United States' participation in operations to eliminate foreign leaders, which has taken on new resonance in connection with the high-profile events of 2025–2026—the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a result of a U.S.–Israeli strike. Based on an analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international-law norms, the evolution of the United States' approaches to the use of force in regime change is reconstructed. Particular attention is paid to the contradiction between the official prohibition on political assassinations and the ongoing practice of their use under new legal justifications.