US President Donald Trump has issued a severe warning to Tehran, revealing he has pre-authorized catastrophic military retaliation if Iranian operatives successfully orchestrate his assassination.
Speaking with The New York Post, the president emphasized that the Islamic Republic's hostility toward him is a long-standing reality.
“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."
The interview with Trump came a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence had uncovered a fresh plot against the American leader. Trump, however, discounted the notion of a brand-new conspiracy. Instead, he underscored that Tehran’s desire to eliminate him has been an ongoing baseline for years.
“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no," Trump noted. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know."
Reflecting on the persistent threat to his life, the president added a somber but casual sign-off, “I hope you’ll miss me."
Earlier this week, Trump explicitly addressed the looming threats against him during a conversation with reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.
“They want to take out the US leader - me," he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long."
Tehran has repeatedly pledged retribution against Trump following the first-term US drone strike that eliminated Qassem Soleimani, the high-ranking general who led the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Meanwhile, hostility from Tehran remains public and pronounced. During the funeral for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, crowds chanted calls for Trump’s death while displaying a banner reading, “We Will Kill Trump."
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)