US President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered one of his most severe warnings yet to Iran, cautioning that any assassination attempt against him would result in catastrophic consequences for the country.
Speaking in an interview, Trump said Iran’s leadership should abandon any such intentions, making clear that retaliatory plans were already in place.
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole – the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
Donald Trump Assassination: Intelligence Briefings During 2024 Campaign
Trump confirmed that intelligence officials from the Biden administration had briefed him during the 2024 presidential campaign about alleged assassination threats originating from Iran.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland had previously stated that the alleged plot was linked to retaliation for the US killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, an operation carried out during Trump’s first term in office.
Despite those briefings, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with how the matter was publicly handled by President Joe Biden.
Donald Trump Criticises Biden’s Silence
Trump said Biden should have spoken out more forcefully about the alleged threats, arguing that presidents should publicly defend one another in matters involving national security and personal safety.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump said. “Anything happens they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
The president reiterated that he had previously left explicit instructions to destroy Iran should the country attempt to assassinate him.
Iran Protests: Donald Trump’s Military Action Warnings
Donald Trump’s comments come amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where weeks of antigovernment protests have resulted in more than 3,300 deaths following clashes between demonstrators and Iran’s security forces.
The president has previously warned that military action against Iran remains an option, particularly if the Iranian government continues executing protesters. However, Trump said in recent days that he had been informed the killings had stopped.
Khamenei Accuses Donald Trump of Meddling
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected US allegations and instead accused Washington of plotting against Iran’s government and backing the protests.
In a series of posts on the social media platform X on Saturday, Khamenei claimed the United States was attempting to undermine Iran from within.
“We do not intend to lead the country toward war,” Khamenei wrote. “However, we will not just let go of the criminals inside the country either. Worse than the internal criminals are the international criminals! We will not let go of them either.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
