In a major escalation of geopolitical rhetoric, President Donald J. Trump has revealed that he has preemptively signed military directives ordering a massive retaliatory strike on Iran in the event that the regime successfully assassinates him.
Mr. Trump said Friday he left “left instructions” for a massive military retaliation against Iran if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him, warning the U.S. would respond “at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he has been “No. 1 on Iran’s kill list for a long time” and that contingency orders are already in place.
“The only thing is, I’ve left instructions if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” Trump told the Post.
He added, “I hope you’ll miss me,” acknowledging the ongoing threat.
Trump expanded on the warning hours later on Truth Social, writing: “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.
He said orders had already been given for the U.S. military to be “ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran”.
The remarks came one day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had shared intelligence with U.S. officials about a new suspected Iranian plan to kill Trump. CNN later reported the intelligence was unspecified and did not detail a formal plot, but involved information that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Ahmad Vahidi wanted Trump dead.
Trump downplayed the report when asked, telling the Post: “No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no. I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know”.
Iran has publicly sought Trump’s assassination since 2020, when he ordered the airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. During multiday funeral events for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this month, mourners carried banners reading “WE WILL KILL TRUMP” and chanted threats against the president. One eulogist was quoted saying, “Trump’s killing is our duty”.
Security concerns were visible this week when Trump returned from a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, aboard an older Air Force One instead of a new Qatari-donated jet. The _New York Times_ reported the Secret Service urged the switch due to safety features amid hostilities with Iran.
Tensions have also risen after Trump declared the mid-June ceasefire with Iran “OVER” following attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military has since targeted Iranian ships in the waterway.
Trump has survived multiple assassination plots domestically, including a July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear.
The White House did not immediately provide further details on the standing instructions. Iranian officials have not publicly responded to Trump’s latest comments as of Friday evening.
