Trump Threatens Iran with 1,000 Missiles if Tehran Attempts Assassination
President Trump declared that 1,000 missiles are "locked and loaded" at Iran and threatened to "completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran" if the Iranian government attempts to assassinate him, following open calls for his killing at Supreme Leader Khamenei's funeral.
Escalating Threats in Middle East Crisis
President Donald Trump threatened to launch thousands of missiles at Iran on Friday should it try to assassinate him. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that "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."
Military Readiness and Orders
He added that "orders have already been given" and claimed that the US military is "ready, willing, and able" for a one-year period, subject to extension, "to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran." The threat came as tensions remain extremely high following the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike in February.
Context of Khamenei's Funeral
During Khamenei's funeral, mourners repeatedly held posters or banners calling for President Donald Trump to be killed, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Iran war's opening moments on Feb. 28 saw an airstrike that killed Khamenei, 86. Iran only buried Khamenei this week in a dayslong funeral ceremony that saw his body taken to cities in both Iran and Iraq.
Diplomatic Standoff Over Strait of Hormuz
Trump made the comments on his Truth Social after senior U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won't be attacked any longer. So far, Tehran has not done so, instead insisting the route remain under its control and that it be allowed to charge ships moving through it, upending decades of precedence. The escalating rhetoric underscores the deterioration of the interim deal agreed between Washington and Tehran last month, with both sides now engaging in tit-for-tat military actions.