A video released in Iran detailing 'how and where' to kill First Lady Melania Trump has been condemned as sickening. The video reportedly went viral and purports to reveal weaknesses for a potential terrorist attack or assassination.
The content includes publicly known information, such as code names for Donald and Melania Trump, and suggests that her 'love of fashion' and retail habits could be exploited in a plot.
Video details and threats
The narrator, in a video brought to Western media by Tasnim News Agency, said: 'The documents used in this video are the result of extracting information from several anonymous security networks and satellite images.' The narrator also issued a threat of a potential poisoning plot to be carried out by 'freedom fighters,' as reported by the US Express.
The video highlights places and stores where Melania Trump shops and ends with a chilling message to President Trump's son Barron: 'He should wait for us.'
Context of US-Iran tensions
The threat comes amid ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. US President Donald Trump is 'giving talks some space,' according to Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the United Nations, speaking to Fox News. Waltz said negotiations have been ongoing at various levels over the past weeks.
Regarding the video's claim about knowing where the First Lady shops, Waltz dismissed the idea that the US stockpile of interceptors is running low, though experts have questioned how long both sides can sustain attacks. Since the US halted attacks for two nights, Iran has also stopped, an Iranian army spokesperson told state TV on Sunday.
Tehran recently counterattacked against countries hosting US military forces, killing three service members in Jordan and one in Iraq.
Mediation efforts
A regional official described mediation progress as 'significant,' with mediators working on a mechanism for managing ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which triggered the latest strikes. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said mediators convey messages but no direct negotiations are happening with the US.
Baghaei said talks between Iran and Oman on managing ship traffic were held on Friday and Saturday. 'The objective is for Iran and Oman, as the two coastal states, to develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests,' Baghaei said. He stressed that the situation in the Strait has not changed and the waterway remains closed.
