President Donald Trump told the New York Post he has issued instructions for a major military response if Iran succeeds in killing him, while dismissing reports that Israel uncovered a new assassination plot.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Friday that he has left instructions for a major U.S. response if Iran succeeds in assassinating him, while downplaying reports that Israeli intelligence recently identified a new Iranian plot against his life.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post as questions continued over threats from Tehran and heightened security surrounding the president.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time,” Trump told the Post. “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 comments echoed Trump’s statement in February 2025, when he told reporters he had instructed advisers to obliterate Iran if Iranian leaders assassinated him.
Trump rejected claims that Israel had recently discovered a new Iranian assassination plan, saying Tehran has wanted him dead since he ordered the 2020 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
“No, no. Israel came up with nothing,” Trump told the Post. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is.”
The remarks came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had shared intelligence with U.S. officials suggesting Iran had developed a new plan to assassinate Trump.
Israeli and Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the details of the report.
Threats against Trump have remained a long-running concern for U.S. intelligence and the Secret Service. In late 2024, the Justice Department announced that it had disrupted an alleged Iranian murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump before the presidential election. Federal officials have repeatedly cited Tehran’s stated desire to avenge Soleimani’s death.
Trump also discussed the threat earlier this week at the NATO summit in Turkey.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader — me. I’m on every list,” Trump said.
He joked that he would rather be “No. 1 on TikTok” than “No. 1 on the list for killing,” then described Iranian leaders as “evil, sick people” and said they must be confronted before their threats worsen.
Security concerns also influenced Trump’s travel after the summit, according to the White House. Trump left Turkey aboard the older Air Force One rather than the newer retrofitted presidential aircraft.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said the administration uses “every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection” to counter threats against the president.
Despite the threats and renewed military tensions, Trump said Friday that the United States has agreed to continue diplomatic contact with Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”
Trump has restored maximum pressure sanctions on Iran after renewed military clashes this week. At the same time, he has said the United States remains willing to negotiate a broader peace agreement if Tehran ends hostile actions.
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