Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran over any potential plot to assassinate him, saying the US army is poised to "completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran" in retaliation. The president claims he has been "number one" on Iran's hit list for years, as demonstrators made fresh calls to kill Trump at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral this week.
Ceasefire Collapses Amid Renewed Strikes
Tensions between the US and Iran have boiled over once again as the President declared on Wednesday the ceasefire between the two countries is over, with fresh strikes raining down on Tehran this week. The US side cancelled the waiver on Iranian oil sanctions and hit 180 Iranian targets in just two days in renewed strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Iran sent missile attacks at three oil and gas vessels in the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the week, prompting Trump to suspend the ceasefire agreement on Tuesday.
Open Calls for Trump's Death at Khamenei's Funeral
Iranian demonstrators made open calls to kill Trump, displaying giant banners and signs at the funeral of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of joint US-Israeli strikes in February this year. According to reports, Iran has openly sought the President's assassination since 2020, after Trump commanded the attack that killed Iran's military officer, Qasem Soleimani.
Trump's Social Media Warning
Taking to Truth Social early on Saturday, Trump addressed the threat. He wrote: "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!"
He continued: "Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Israeli Intel and Trump's Response
Last week, Israeli intelligence shared with the US reportedly tipped off intel of a possible plan to take the president out, but Trump shrugged off the idea of there being a new plan. "No, no. Israel came up with nothing," he told the New York Post. "I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know."
He also told the outlet, should any Iranian assassination plot succeed, that he's "left instructions" that would see the US "just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before."
Security Measures and NATO Summit Comments
When returning back home from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump reportedly swapped planes, using an old jet instead of Air Force One, as a security tactic after the attacks - and after openly declaring Iran wants him dead at the conference. "They had leaders, they’re gone. Then they had another set of leaders, they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders — they may be gone, who knows?" he said at the summit. "And you know what? I may be gone too. Because I’m their No. 1 target — it’s out all over the place. Because they’re scum."
