Trump reveals backup plan in response to Iran’s assassination plot: ‘Bomb them like never before’ | World

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he has left instructions for the United States to launch an unprecedented military response against Iran if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him, saying the country would be “bombed at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

Speaking to the New York Post, Trump said Iran had wanted him dead for years but insisted there was no fresh intelligence suggesting an imminent assassination plot.

Been on Iran’s hit list for long: Trump

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” Trump told the New York Post.

He added, “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’s remarks came after reports suggested Israel had flagged intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot targeting the US president. However, he dismissed suggestions that any new threat had emerged.

“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” Trump said. “I’ve been No. 1 (on Iran’s kill list) for a long time, and it’s the way life is.”

In a lighter moment during the interview, he added, “I hope you’ll miss me.”

Iran’s revenge vow

Trump’s latest remarks are consistent with comments he made earlier this week, when he claimed he was Iran’s “number one target” and defended his administration’s military action against Tehran. Speaking after the NATO summit, he said he believed Iran could be plotting to assassinate him but insisted he would not be intimidated.

Iran has openly sought revenge against Trump since 2020, when he authorised the US drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad.

US authorities have also disclosed multiple alleged Iran-linked assassination plots targeting Trump in recent years. Separately, Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler in July 2024, when a bullet grazed his ear.

US-Iran talks status

Trump also claimed that Iran had asked to continue talks with the United States but asserted that any ceasefire between the two countries had ended.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Iran had sought further negotiations and that Washington had agreed to continue discussions. However, he said the United States had made its position clear.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.

Also read: Why US does not want to involve Israel in its strikes on Iran as tensions escalate again in Mideast