Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States would “wipe out” Iran if the country were to assassinate him, issuing one of his most explicit threats yet against Tehran amid renewed tensions between
the two nations.
“I have very firm instructions, anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth,” Trump said in an interview on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s remarks follow earlier statements in which he said he had directed his advisers to obliterate Iran if the country were found to be behind any attempt on his life.
The comments come against the backdrop of growing unrest inside Iran and sharp exchanges between Washington and Tehran over the country’s leadership and handling of mass protests.
Earlier, Iran had cautioned Trump against taking any action targeting the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades.
“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world,” said General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, according to comments cited by the AP.
The exchange comes days after Trump publicly criticised Khamenei in an interview with Politico, describing him as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” and saying “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.”
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been high since Iranian authorities launched a violent crackdown on protests that erupted over the country’s ailing economy late last year.
Trump has drawn what he described as two red lines for the Islamic Republic, the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran conducting mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations.
The scale of the unrest has been significant.
A US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll from the protests has reached at least 4,519 people, though there was no official confirmation on the death toll.
Iranian officials have acknowledged thousands of deaths, with Khamenei himself saying over the weekend that the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blaming the United States for the unrest.
More than 26,300 people have been arrested, according to the same human rights group, raising fears among international observers that some detainees could face execution.
Iran is among the world’s top executioners, and comments from officials have fueled concerns over the fate of those detained.
Meanwhile, US military movements have drawn attention as tensions simmer.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been operating in the South China Sea, was observed transiting toward the Indian Ocean, accompanied by three destroyers.
While US Navy officials declined to say the strike group was headed to the Middle East, its location and heading indicate it is only days away from the region.
