- Trump Claims Iran Wants Him Dead: Former President Trump alleges Iran is behind assassination attempts against him, prompting the question, did Iran try to assassinate him, and escalating tensions between the nations.
- Iran Denies Involvement: Iranian officials strongly deny any plot to kill Trump, calling the accusations fabricated and blaming Israel for stirring conflict.
- Possibility of U.S. Strikes Looms: Trump warns Iran of obliteration if an attack occurs and hints at ordering strikes on Iranโs nuclear sites within weeks.
Just days after reports revealed that Donald Trump rejected Israelโs plan to assassinate Iranโs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former president made a chilling public remark: the U.S. knows exactly where Khamenei is and is sparing him โfor now.โ
Israel openly calls for Khameneiโs death
The tension surrounding Khameneiโs fate is far from theoretical. Israelโs top brass has begun openly demanding his death. Defense Minister Israel Katz didnโt mince words this week when he declared that Khamenei โcan no longer be allowed to exist.โ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment during an appearance on Fox News, insisting that Khamenei sees Trump as โpublic enemy number oneโ and urging the United States to join forces in taking Iran head-on.
The lingering shadow of the Soleimani strike
For Israel, the rhetoric is not just talkโitโs a push to drag the U.S. further into its shadow war with Iran. And theyโre using Trumpโs safety as leverage. At the same time, Washington continues to walk a tightrope. The U.S. is still haunted by backlash from past interventions in the Middle East, most notably the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020โa strike ordered by Trump himself.
That drone strike outside Baghdad International Airport sent shockwaves across the region. Soleimani, who led the Quds Force of Iranโs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had eluded Western assassination attempts for decades. But in 2020, he didnโt survive. The carefully orchestrated operation was hailed by some in the West as a bold move to neutralize a terror threatโbut to others, especially in Iran, it was seen as cold-blooded murder. Iranโs then-foreign minister called it nothing short of international terrorism.
U.S. intelligence points to possible Iranian retaliation
Fast forward to 2024, and U.S. intelligence agencies believe the tables may have turned. According to federal sources, Tehran began actively exploring ways to assassinate Trump, who was at that point campaigning to retake the White House. In September, Trump himself warned of โbig threats on my life by Iran.โ While two attempts on his life were reported during the summer campaign season, neither was directly linked to Iranโat least not officially.
Murder-for-hire plots raise alarm
Alarming signs kept mounting. In one chilling case, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran tried to hire hitmen to kill U.S. government officialsโbut ended up approaching undercover agents, according to prosecutors. Then came an even more explosive twist in November: Farhad Shakeri, a fugitive Iranian government operative, allegedly plotted to hire two men he met in prison for an assassination. One of the intended targets? Donald Trump.
An FBI complaint revealed Shakeri confessed that Iranian officials ordered him to abandon his other missions and concentrate entirely on tracking and eventually eliminating the former president. The revelation sent shockwaves through political and intelligence communities, igniting fear, outrage, and renewed calls for heightened security.
Trump promises devastating retaliation
Trump responded as only Trump canโbluntly and with menace. Speaking in February, he said any assassination attempt on him by Iran would trigger massive retaliation. โNot because of me,โ he explained, โbut if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. Iโve left instructions: if they do it, they get obliterated. There wonโt be anything left.โ
Iran denies everything and blames Israel
Iran, for its part, flatly denied the accusations. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the claims as political theater, saying on social media that they were part of โa new scenarioโ cooked up to sow more division. โThe American people have made their decision. And Iran respects their right to elect the president of their choice,โ he wrote. โThe path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect.โ
Iranian officials doubled down in interviews. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei claimed it was a โrepulsiveโ Israeli plot to wreck already-fragile relations between Tehran and Washington. Even Iranโs newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian chimed in, saying Iran โnever attemptedโ to kill Trump and never would. โThis is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia,โ he told NBC News. โAt least as far as I know.โ
Pressed on whether Iran had ever plotted against Trump, Pezeshkian answered unequivocally: โNone whatsoever.โ
Netanyahu insists Iran has tried twice to assassinate Trump
But Netanyahu hasnโt let up. In mid-June, he appeared once again on Fox News, asking why a regime that chants โDeath to Americaโ and โtried to assassinate President Trump twiceโ should ever be trusted with nuclear weapons. Host Bret Baier pressed him for clarity: had Iran really tried to assassinate Trump?
โThrough proxies, yes,โ Netanyahu replied. โThrough their intel, yes, they want to kill him. Heโs enemy number one.โ
Carlson and Cruz call for a hard response
The statement sent a jolt through political circles. If Israelโs Prime Minister was publicly accusing Iran of attempting to assassinate a former U.S. presidentโtwiceโshouldnโt that trigger a military response?
Thatโs the argument being made by conservative firebrands like Tucker Carlson. Speaking to Senator Ted Cruz, Carlson questioned why the U.S. hadnโt bombed Tehran yet, if the threats were real. โWe should attack Iran immediately if thatโs true,โ he said.
Cruz didnโt blink. โNobody disputesโ Iranโs intent to kill Trump, he said. โItโs an objective fact.โ
Trump may strike Iranian nuclear sites soon
And now, the world is watching what Trump will do next. On Thursday, he dropped yet another bombshell. In a statement read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to launch U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The choice, he said, depends on whether Iran comes to the negotiating table.
โBased on the fact that thereโs a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,โ the statement read.
The Middle East is already burning
This comes on the heels of another deadly week in the Middle East. According to officials, more than 600 people have been killed in strikes between Iran and Israelโincluding at least two dozen Iranians. The bloodshed shows no sign of stopping.
At the heart of all this is a question thatโs both chilling and urgent: Is Iran really trying to kill Donald Trump? And if so, how close have they come?
Itโs a question that could ignite a warโor, perhaps, push two enemies toward an uneasy peace. But one thing is certain: the world is on edge, and time is running out.