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President Trump on Friday claimed he has left instructions to bomb Iran “at levels that they’ve never seen before” should Tehran assassinate him.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he told the New York Post. “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 interview comes a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel recently shared intelligence with the U.S. indicating a new plot from Iran to assassinate Trump.
But CNN, citing U.S. officials, reported that the new Israeli intelligence could have been an attempt to influence Trump’s stance as he weighs whether to escalate military action against Iran. Israel has pushed for increased military intervention in the Middle East while Trump has opted for continuing negotiations, though on Friday he announced a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was “over.”
Trump disputed there was a fresh plot against him but said Iran has wanted him dead for years.
“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” the president said. “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 sought Trump’s assassination since he directed the 2020 attack that killed top Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani.
And during this week’s funeral processions for slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reported that mourners chanted “Death to America,” and a banner was displayed on the streets reading, “We Will Kill Trump.”
An assassination attempt seemed to be at the top of the president’s mind at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, when he told reporters that he is “No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.”
“I’m their No. 1 target because they’re scum,” he added.
The president’s departure from Turkey on the older Air Force One instead of the new model gifted by Qatar also raised security concerns, though the White House downplayed the significance of the decision.
Tensions have exploded between the U.S. and Iran this week after Washington carried out retaliatory attacks against Iran in response to Tehran’s targeting of shipping vessels in the strait, with the U.S. striking 90 targets inside Iran on Wednesday evening.
Then on Friday, Trump declared that while Iran has asked to continue peace negotiations, which Washington has agreed to do, “the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”
Earlier in the week, Trump removed the U.S. waiver on Iranian oil sanctions.
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Ali Khamenei
Donald Trump
Qassem Soleimani
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View original source — The Hill ↗

