Trump threatens Iran with ‘total obliteration’ if they try to kill him

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 30: United States President Donald Trump makes a press statement at the White House in Washington DC., United States on January 30, 2025. ( Celal Güneş - Anadolu Agency )

President Trump has threatened Iran with “total obliteration” if they try to kill him, adding there “won’t be anything left.”

When asked by reporters in the White House on Tuesday what would happen if Iran tried to kill him, Trump said: “It would be called total obliteration.”

“That would be a terrible thing for them to do, not because of me. If they did that, they would be obliterated. At a beginning, I’ve left instructions. If they do it, they get obliterated. There won’t be anything left,” said the U.S. president.

In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against three individuals in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump before the presidential election.

One of the accused, Farhad Shakeri, was reportedly instructed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump.

According to court documents and indictments unsealed in November 2024, Shakeri was told to devise a plan to kill Trump within seven days. If he couldn’t formulate a plan by that deadline, the plot was to be paused until after the election, with the belief that Trump would lose, making it easier to assassinate him post-election.

Assassinated Iranian Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani

Iran has denied these allegations through its Foreign Ministry, describing them as “totally unfounded” and a “malicious conspiracy” aimed at complicating issues between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian officials have also stated that similar accusations in the past were baseless.

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These allegations came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, particularly following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, which was ordered by Trump. This act led to vows of revenge from Iranian officials, including threats against Trump and his advisers.

Trump was speaking after he signed an executive order to reimpose the “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, aiming to curb its oil exports and restrict its influence in the Middle East.

“It’s very tough on Iran,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He said he is “torn” on signing the order but added, “Hopefully we are not going to have to use it very much.”

The signing came shortly before he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“So I’m signing this, and I’m unhappy to do it, but I really have not so much choice, because we have to be strong and firm, and I hope that it’s not going to have to be used in any great measure at all. It’d be great if we could have a Middle East and maybe a world at total peace,” said Trump.

In his remarks, he also reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran has yet to respond to Trump’s comments.

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