US President Donald Trump has said he has issued standing instructions for the United States to launch overwhelming military action against Iran if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him, underscoring the sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries following the collapse of a recently negotiated ceasefire.
Speaking in an interview with the New York Post published on Friday, Trump said Iran had sought to kill him for years following the 2020 US drone strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
“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.”
The remarks come days after the White House confirmed it adopted additional security measures during Trump’s return from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The president reportedly switched aircraft before departing, a move officials described as a precaution amid persistent threats against him.
Trump dismissed reports suggesting Israel had uncovered a new Iranian assassination plot, saying there was no fresh intelligence but insisting Iran had considered him its “No. 1 target” for years.
“I’ve been No. 1 on Iran’s kill list for a long time, and that’s the way life is,” he said.
The conflict between the US and Iran escalated this week coinciding with funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where demonstrators displayed banners calling for Trump’s assassination.
Photographs from the funeral showed crowds carrying placards bearing messages such as “Hey Trump, We Will Kill You” and “Kill Trump.” Iranian media also quoted speakers at memorial events describing Trump’s killing as a “duty” because of his role in authorising Soleimani’s death.
Long-standing Assassination Threat
Speaking earlier at the NATO summit, Trump accused Iran’s leadership of acting in bad faith despite diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.
“They had leaders, they’re gone. Then they had another set of leaders, they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders — they may be gone, who knows?” Trump said. “And you know what? I may be gone too. Because I’m their No. 1 target.”
US intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned since 2020 that Iran has sought retaliation for Soleimani’s killing, including through plots targeting former American officials. Authorities have also disclosed multiple threats against Trump in recent years, although officials have not publicly linked every incident to Iran.
The latest exchange of threats raises concerns that the already volatile confrontation between Washington and Tehran could escalate further, with implications for regional security, global oil markets and international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.
Trump has maintained that any attempt on his life would trigger an overwhelming US military response, describing Iran’s leadership as responsible for decades of hostility toward the United States.
