U.S. President Donald Trump stated he has instructed the Pentagon to strike Iran with unprecedented force should Tehran succeed in killing him.
5:10 PM
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he has left instructions with the Pentagon to strike Iran with unprecedented force if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him, according to an interview with the New York Post.
"I've been on their list for a long time. That's what we're dealing with," Trump said. "The only thing is, I've left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before."
Trump made the statement in response to press reports indicating that Israel may have warned the United States of a new Iranian plot against him. However, Trump clarified that Israel has not recently confirmed such a plan. He said Iran has considered him a target for many years and that he is the number one person on Tehran's list of individuals to eliminate.
"No, no. Israel has not said anything," Trump said when asked about the Israeli warning. "I am number one" on Iran's target list "for a long time."
According to sources familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal, Israel shared intelligence with the United States indicating a new Iranian plan to kill Trump. The specifics of that intelligence and any recent developments were not detailed in Trump's remarks.
Trump also addressed ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran. In a post on his Truth social platform, Trump wrote that Iran had requested to continue talks and that the United States accepted. He stated that Washington made clear to Tehran "without mincing words, that the ceasefire is over."
Trump did not provide additional details about the timeline of his instructions to the Pentagon or the specific circumstances that would trigger such action.
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