President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran late Friday, threatening to “decimate and destroy” the Islamic Republic if it follows through on a reported assassination plot against him. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed he has already ordered the U.S. military to prepare for a massive response, stating that “1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow.”
The warning comes just days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence had shared new information with U.S. officials indicating Tehran was actively considering a plan to kill the president. Trump dismissed the idea that Israel had uncovered anything new, telling the New York Post, “No, no. Israel came up with nothing.” He added, “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.”
Khamenei's Son Vows Revenge
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in U.S. strikes in late February, responded on Saturday by vowing to avenge his father. In a Telegram post reviewed by Reuters, he called retribution “the demand of the nation” and said it “must certainly” happen. “We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” he wrote. At the funeral procession for the late supreme leader, crowds displayed banners reading, “WE WILL KILL TRUMP.”
Trump's Preemptive Strike Orders
Trump has repeatedly stated that he has left explicit instructions for the U.S. military to launch an overwhelming retaliation if he is harmed. “I’ve been on their list for a long time,” he told the New York Post. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.” In his Truth Social post, he elaborated: “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!”
The president’s warnings come amid a volatile backdrop. At the NATO Summit in Ankara earlier this week, Trump declared the interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran “over” following an exchange of overnight retaliatory strikes. He told reporters he was Iran’s “No. 1 target.” Security concerns also prompted Trump to depart the summit on the old Air Force One instead of the newly refurbished Qatari-gifted jet, a move that followed days of tit-for-tat strikes and the revocation of Iran’s oil sanctions waiver after attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalating standoff has raised fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East. Trump’s threats of “complete decimation” mirror his previous warnings during his first term, but this time they are backed by a reported intelligence assessment that Iran is actively plotting his assassination. The situation remains fluid, with both sides trading threats and the U.S. military on heightened alert.
In related developments, Trump’s administration has been embroiled in other controversies, including his ouster of election commissioners that has raised fears of midterm interference, and the mysterious ownership and pricing of his “Freedom Fuel” stations. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are demanding a probe into Trump’s billion-dollar crypto windfall, adding to the political pressure on the president.
