President Donald Trump said he has left instructions for the United States to launch an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” the president told the New York Post Friday. “I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
Trump did not explain whom he gave the instructions to, which targets would be included or how such an order would be carried out after his death.
Trump calls himself Iran’s top target
The president’s comments followed remarks he made during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he said Iran may be seeking to kill him.
“I’m their No. 1 target,” Trump said.
Iran has threatened retaliation against Trump and other former administration officials over the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. American authorities have also previously accused Iranian operatives of pursuing plots against Trump.
The latest concern arose after Israel reportedly shared intelligence with the United States before Trump landed in Washington indicating that Iran was considering another plot to assassinate the president.
Mediaite’s Tom Durante has additional details:
On the way back to the States, the president was forced to switch planes after the Secret Service reportedly voiced concerns about the new Air Force One, a $400 million jet gifted to him from the Qatari government.
After that, Israel claimed it had shared intelligence with the president that the Islamic regime was “considering” a new plan to assassinate the president.
In his interview with The Post, Trump denied those claims.
“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he said. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.”
“I hope you’ll miss me,” he quipped.
According to reporting cited by Mediaite, Israeli intelligence had not determined how far the alleged plot had progressed or whether Tehran had taken any concrete steps to carry it out.
Trump nevertheless delivered an unmistakable warning: Any successful attack against him would bring an overwhelming American response.
This article originally appeared on Great America News Desk. It is republished with permission.
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