Fears for his life

Trump: Iran will be “completely destroyed” if …

U.S. President Donald Trump says he is “number one on the Iranians’ hit list.”(Bild: AFP/ALEX BRANDON)

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with “total” destruction if the Iranians carry out an assassination attempt against him. The U.S. president announced that 1,000 missiles are already on standby. Meanwhile, Iran stated that—contrary to Trump’s claims—no negotiations are planned.

“1,000 missiles are armed and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump declared on Friday. “And thousands more would follow immediately” if the Iranians “make good on their globally stated threat to assassinate—or attempt to assassinate—the sitting President of the United States—in this case, me!”

The relevant orders have already been issued, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “The U.S. military is ready, willing, and able to completely obliterate and destroy all areas of Iran over a period of one year—with the option to extend.”

1,000 missiles have been armed and are aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran.

US-Präsident Donald Trump

Bild: AP/Alex Brandon

Iran is said to have a “concrete” plan
Previously, U.S. media had reported that Iran had a “concrete” plan to assassinate Trump—and Israeli intelligence is said to have warned the Americans about this. While this was not a direct reference to possible assassination plots, the warning from Israel “referred to a concrete conspiracy,” reported the U.S. network CNN. Trump himself had said on Wednesday that he was “number one on the Iranians’ hit list.”

Tehran: No Negotiations Planned
An end to the war in the near future seems a long way off: Trump had claimed that the Iranians had asked for negotiations with the U.S., but the Iranians deny this. They had not sought talks, but had merely agreed to a visit by a Qatari mediator, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, according to state TV. Trump had stated that the U.S. had agreed to talks after Iran had requested them.

U.S. Threatens Severe Consequences for
There has been much wrangling over the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict. The U.S. is now demanding that Iran commit to free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian leadership should publicly assure that the strait is open and that Iran will not attack commercial ships, several U.S. media outlets reported, citing U.S. government officials. One of the officials warned that if Iran does not agree to this by Saturday, there will be severe consequences.

Doubts About a Nuclear Deal
In addition to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program is among the points of contention. The U.S. government now considers a nuclear deal with Iran increasingly unlikely, the “Wall Street Journal” reported, citing high-ranking U.S. officials. Meanwhile, Iran may be rebuilding a well-known military research facility. Satellite images suggest this, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, work was carried out there until 2003 as part of Iran’s Amad program on technologies that could be relevant to nuclear weapons. Iran denies the existence of the program.