US President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a stark warning to Iran after intelligence assessments pointed to continued threats from Iranian elements to assassinate him, declaring that “1,000 missiles are Locked and Loaded” and warning Tehran of devastating retaliation if any such plot is carried out.
The warning came amid heightened tensions following the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where mourners openly displayed posters and banners calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day (Feb 28) of the US-led attack on Iran, paving the way for his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, to assume the country’s top leadership.
The development has further underscored the fragile security situation in the Middle East as efforts to stabilise the region continue to face repeated setbacks.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States was fully prepared to launch an overwhelming military response if Iran’s leadership attempted to assassinate him.
“A thousand 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,” Trump wrote.
He further warned that the United States was “ready, willing, and able, for a one-year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas” of Iran if any attempt was made on his life.
Trump also ended his post by writing that the U.S. military would “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran — PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!”
Throughout the war with Iran and the ceasefire that followed, Trump has repeatedly invoked the Arabic phrase for God in his public statements while threatening severe military action against Tehran.
Trump’s latest remarks came after senior U.S. officials reportedly demanded that Iran publicly guarantee that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open and that commercial vessels passing through the strategically vital waterway would not be attacked.
The warning also followed heightened security measures surrounding Trump. During the recent NATO summit in Turkey, he travelled on the older Air Force One aircraft, which officials reportedly considered more secure than the newly refurbished aircraft gifted by Qatar. The move came after days of escalating military exchanges, the revocation of Iran’s oil sanctions waiver and increasing concerns over threats against the US President.
Speaking before departing Turkey, Trump acknowledged that he believed he remained a target.
Israeli intelligence recently shared information with the Trump administration regarding alleged Iranian threats to assassinate the U.S. President. However, two US officials familiar with the intelligence assessments said there was no evidence of a new or imminent assassination plot.
Instead, the assessments reflected persistent discussions among various Iranian actors expressing a desire to target Trump.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Israel had shared intelligence detailing an alleged Iranian assassination plot. CNN later reported that while U.S. intelligence had detected continued hostile rhetoric among Iranian hardliners, officials found no evidence of a specific operational plan.
Some U.S. officials also cautioned that the intelligence could have been intended to deepen divisions between Washington and Tehran as negotiations aimed at ending the conflict continued.
On Friday, Trump announced that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was effectively “over,” although he said diplomatic negotiations between the two countries would continue.
Security experts said the threats should not be dismissed.
The hostility between Trump and Tehran dates back to 2020, when he ordered the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, triggering vows of revenge from Iran’s leadership.
