DONALD Trump has vowed Iran will be “wiped off the face of the Earth” if the regime follows through on assassination threats.
The explosive statement came as the US leader hit back at taunts from Tehran.
Speaking to NewsNation on Tuesday, Trump addressed deadly protests sweeping Iran that have reportedly left thousands dead.
Asked how he would respond to threats on his life, the president said: “I’ve left notification, if anything ever happens… the whole country’s going to get blown up. I would absolutely hit them so hard.
“I have very firm instructions, anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this Earth.”
The warning comes after Iranian state TV aired a menacing broadcast last week showing footage of the assassination attempt Trump survived as a presidential candidate in 2024.
The clip was captioned in Farsi with the words: “This time, the bullet won’t miss.”
Trump later hinted that there would have been a nuclear response if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had started hanging Iranians in an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Behind the scenes, the White House is already drawing up attack plans after Trump demanded “decisive” military options that could collapse the Islamist regime.
According to reports, the president has been pressing the Pentagon for strike packages ranging from punishing hits on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to full-scale action designed to smash the mullahs’ grip on power.
Trump has repeatedly insisted any response must be “decisive”, and warned that continued threats on his life would end with Iran getting “blown up”.
The sabre-rattling comes as Iran descends deeper into chaos, with anti-regime protests raging for weeks and blood running in the streets.
US-based human rights monitors say more than 4,500 people have already been killed, including hundreds of security forces, with a further 26,000 arrested.
Thousands more deaths are still being investigated, fuelling fears the true toll could be far higher.
Other activists warn the slaughter could be far worse, with horrified witnesses claiming the dead may number up to 20,000 after machine-gun fire ripped through crowds and bodies piled up in makeshift morgues.
Footage leaked from inside Iran appears to show body bags stacked in trucks and warehouses, while families have reportedly been forced to pay “bullet money” to retrieve the corpses of loved ones, or sign documents blaming protesters for their own deaths.
Amnesty International has raised the alarm over reports of mass graves being dug at Tehran’s vast Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, with authorities accused of secretly burying victims to hide the scale of the killings.
Security forces are also said to be going door-to-door hunting wounded protesters, dragging them from homes and hospitals amid an internet blackout now stretching hundreds of hours.
Trump has openly backed the uprising, urging Iranians to rise up and promising protesters that “help is on the way”, while warning Tehran not to execute detainees.
At the same time, the regime has doubled down on its threats against the US president.
Iranian state TV last week aired chilling footage of the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump, overlaid with the message: “This time, the bullet won’t miss.”
Similar threats have appeared at pro-regime rallies in Tehran, with demonstrators holding signs warning that “the arrow doesn’t always miss”.
Senior Revolutionary Guards commanders have also issued open threats, vowing to “set their world on fire” if the US strikes Iran’s leadership.
The Islamic Republic has accused Washington of stirring unrest and warned it would retaliate against US bases and allies if attacked.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15819485/trump-iran-wiped-off-earth-ayatollahs-threat/