Washington and Tehran have issued direct threats of large-scale military conflict in response to warnings of potential assassinations targeting their respective leaders. The exchange marks a significant escalation in rhetoric between the two countries.
In an interview with News Nation aired on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump stated that Iran would be wiped “off the face of this earth” if it were to assassinate him. “I have very firm instructions. Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth,” Trump said, addressing threats against his life.
This follows a similar warning Trump made a year ago, where he stated that if Iran were to act, “they get obliterated.”
In response, Iranian General Abolfazl Shekarchi, speaking to Iranian state media on Tuesday, declared that Tehran would retaliate severely if any harm came to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Trump knows that if a hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we will not only sever that hand, and this is not a mere slogan,” Shekarchi stated. “But we will set their world on fire and leave them no safe haven in the region.”
These threats come as Iran faces significant internal unrest. The country has been experiencing major anti-government protests, reportedly some of the largest since 1979, which began in December due to severe economic conditions.
Human rights organizations are documenting the casualties from the government’s crackdown on these demonstrations. The Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported over 4,000 confirmed deaths. Separately, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO noted that the total number of protesters killed could potentially exceed media estimates of 20,000, though verification is difficult due to communication restrictions.
Amidst the turmoil, some figures in the Iranian diaspora, including Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, have advocated for targeted US intervention against Iran’s leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
