US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had ordered the military to be prepared to launch major strikes against Iran if the Iranian government carries out or attempts an assassination of the president.
“1000 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, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” he said in a Truth Social post.
“Orders have already been given, and the US Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran — PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!”
Trump’s remarks came two days after The Wall Street Journal reported, citing individuals familiar with the matter, that Israel had shared intelligence with the United States about Iranian plans to kill the American president.
Two US officials told Channel 12 news that the information related to general dialogue between Iranian officials on potentially assassinating Trump, rather than a specific plot, and that Israel had given similar information on plans by Iran and Iran-linked terror groups over the past year.
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The officials said that they believed Israel gave the information to the US to improve ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump and to try to influence Washington’s policies on Iran.
A large sign saying “We will kill Trump” is carried by funeral-goers in Mashhad, Iran, where slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei was being buried on July 9, 2026. (via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Trump on Friday denied the reports, telling The New York Post in a phone interview, “No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no.”
“I’ve been number one [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is,” he added.
Iran has been publicly pledging to assassinate Trump since the US killed Iranian IRGC Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020, with calls for the US president’s death featuring prominently in the recent mourning commemorations for slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“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 said in the phone call. “I hope you’ll miss me.”
Amid the fears of an assassination attempt, Trump unexpectedly left Turkey this week aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there. The New York Times reported that this was done at the recommendation of the US Secret Service as a security precaution.
US President Donald Trump, center, switches planes at US Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, on his way back to Washington from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The alleged Iranian plans to kill Trump follow multiple assassination attempts against the US president. Most recently, eight men were indicted Thursday on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a thwarted plot to target officials linked to Israel, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance, other federal officials, trillionaire businessman Elon Musk and “other high-value targets,” at the UFC event at the White House last month.
Federal prosecutors also alleged that the group planned to murder Netanyahu, who was not at the event.
Additionally, in 2024, US prosecutors announced charges in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump and a prominent dissident Iranian-American journalist.
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