U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to Iran, declaring that the United States would unleash overwhelming military force if Tehran attempts to assassinate him or carries out attacks against American interests.
In a series of remarks on Friday, Trump said Iran would be “decimated and destroyed” if it acted on what he described as longstanding threats against his life.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, the president claimed the U.S. military had already been placed on alert to respond to any assassination attempt.
“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… to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Trump wrote.
He further stated that standing orders had been issued for the U.S. military to retaliate with overwhelming force if such an attack occurred.
“Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able… to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran,” Trump added.
The remarks came a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence had shared information with U.S. officials suggesting Iran was considering a new plot targeting the president.
Speaking earlier this week during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said he believed he remained Iran’s primary target.
“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” he told reporters.
In a separate interview with the New York Post, Trump revealed he had also left instructions for the U.S. to launch devastating strikes against Iran if an assassination attempt against him were ever successful.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time,” Trump said. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
Despite the intelligence reports, Trump downplayed claims that Israel had uncovered a new assassination plot, insisting that the threat against him was not new.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the U.S. Secret Service recommended Trump travel aboard the older Air Force One rather than the newly retrofitted Boeing 747 donated by Qatar following his trip to Turkey, citing heightened security concerns amid renewed tensions with Iran.
The White House has not confirmed whether the decision was linked to a specific threat but said the new presidential aircraft is equipped with advanced security systems.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the administration continues to take every precaution to protect the president, noting that multiple adversaries continue to pose threats to U.S. leadership.
Iran has been accused of seeking revenge against Trump since he ordered the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
Tensions have escalated further in recent days following attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which prompted a new round of U.S. military strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure linked to maritime operations.
Trump has since declared the ceasefire with Iran “over” and warned that further military action would follow if Tehran continues its attacks or threatens U.S. interests.
