Former President Donald Trump stated that he has issued directives for a massive military response if Iran attempts to assassinate him, asserting that Tehran has long sought his death.
"I've left instructions -- if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before," Trump told The New York Post in an interview.
Trump indicated that while Israel had flagged intelligence regarding a plot against him, there was no new plan from Iran, but reiterated that the country has desired his elimination for years. "I've been No. 1 [on Iran's kill list] for a long time, and it's the way life is, you know," he said. "I hope you'll miss me."
Iran has openly expressed a desire to assassinate the former president since 2020, the year Trump authorized a drone strike that killed Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani. Since a July 13, 2024, incident where an assassin's bullet grazed his ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, multiple foiled assassination plots targeting Trump have been reported.
Recent public displays in Iran have amplified tensions between the two nations. During the funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader, demonstrators were seen carrying banners calling for Trump's assassination.