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Iran Issues Direct Assassination Threat Against President Trump

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Iran broadcast a chilling threat against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, airing an image of the U.S. leader from the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt with a stark warning: “This time it will not miss the target.”

The message appeared on Iranian state-run television and was reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), marking what observers say is Tehran’s most explicit threat yet against the American president.

The image reportedly showed Trump bloodied from the 2024 campaign rally shooting in which he was struck in the ear by gunman Thomas Crooks. The photo was displayed during a pro-government rally in Iran, events that continue to be broadcast despite nationwide communications blackouts imposed amid ongoing anti-regime protests.

The threat comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran reach new highs. Trump has repeatedly condemned Iran’s violent crackdown on demonstrators and warned that the United States could take military action if the regime continues targeting protesters.

This is not the first time Iran has issued threats against Trump. In 2022, Iranian media released a video depicting a mock assassination attempt on Trump at his Mar-a-Lago golf course. That video resurfaced in 2024 after the arrest of Ryan Routh, who was apprehended while allegedly attempting to attack Trump at the same location.

U.S. authorities have also warned of real-world Iranian plots targeting the former and current president. The Justice Department revealed in 2024 that it had disrupted an alleged assassination plan directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Court documents stated that Iranian operative Farhad Shakeri had been tasked with organizing an effort to kill Trump.

The latest threat was broadcast as pro-regime rallies took place across Iran, with participants seen holding anti-American signs and chanting “Death to America!” in support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian officials have encouraged such demonstrations in an effort to counter widespread public anger over the country’s economic crisis.

Since late December, Iran has been rocked by massive protests sparked by inflation, unemployment, and government corruption. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 2,500 people have been killed in the regime’s crackdown, with thousands more arrested.

The unrest has sharply increased friction between Iran and the United States. Trump has openly supported the protesters and warned that military action remains an option if Tehran continues to brutalize its citizens.

Report: U.S. Military Intervention in Iran Could Begin Within 24 Hours — Bases Pull Personnel, Shift Posture Across Region

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President Donald Trump is weighing imminent military action against Iran that could come “in the next 24 hours,” according to a Reuters report citing European officials, as the Pentagon begins pulling personnel from key U.S. bases across the Middle East and Tehran warns it would retaliate if Washington strikes.

The Reuters report, published Wednesday, said two European officials assessed U.S. military intervention now appeared likely, with one saying it could come within the next 24 hours, while an Israeli official similarly said it appeared Trump had made a decision to intervene — though the scope and timing remained unclear.

The determination came as the United States began withdrawing some personnel from bases in the region, a move the report said was widely viewed as preparation for possible strikes.

A U.S. official said the drawdown involved a precautionary removal of personnel from key bases given heightened regional tensions following warnings from a senior Iranian official that Iran would strike American bases in neighboring countries if the U.S. targets Iran.

That senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had warned regional states — including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey — that U.S. bases on their territory would be attacked if Washington launches strikes, while urging those countries to pressure Washington to stand down.

(Read more from “Report: U.S. Military Intervention in Iran Could Begin Within 24 Hours — Bases Pull Personnel, Shift Posture Across Region” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Iranians Burn Down Mosques

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Iranian demonstrators set mosques ablaze during heated protests against the country’s Islamic government, according to local video and reports this weekend.

Protesters in Iran have set numerous fires since the riots broke out Dec. 28, with Tehran’s fire department claiming as many as 34 mosques were burned, according to multiple outlets. One video verified by NBC News showed a crowd cheering Friday night while a Tehran mosque became engulfed in flames.

The mass uprising reportedly began in response to economic woes but follows months of instances of women shedding their mandatory headwear in a statement against the country’s forced Islamic norms. Another video posted by Reuters showed a mob vandalizing the Abuzar Mosque in Tehran on Thursday, scattering furniture and laying incendiary devices.

The Iranian regime has massacred hundreds while clamping down on the disorder, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran reports, according to The New York Post. (Read more from “Iranians Burn Down Mosques” HERE)

Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown ‘Massacre’

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At least 192 protesters have been killed in Iran’s biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, a rights group said Sunday, as warnings grew that authorities were committing a “massacre” to quell the demonstrations.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have now become a movement against the theocratic system in place in Iran since the 1979 revolution and have already lasted two weeks.

The mass rallies are one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 60 hours, according to monitor Netblocks, with activists warning the shutdown was limiting the flow of information and the actual toll risks being far higher.

“Since the start of the protests, Iran Human Rights has confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters,” the Norway-based non-governmental organisation said, warning that the deaths “may be even more extensive than we currently imagine”. (Read more from “Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown ‘Massacre’” HERE)

Trump Steps Up Support for Iranian Protesters in Flurry of Posts — ‘USA Stands Ready to Help’

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“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” President Donald Trump wrote Saturday as he escalated his public backing of Iran’s protesters — and sharpened warnings to the regime in Tehran.

Trump posted repeatedly on Truth Social throughout the day, including a post this evening highlighting demonstrators in London who scaled Iran’s embassy, tore down the Islamic Republic’s flag, and hoisted the country’s pre-1979 symbol instead.

The scene unfolded at Iran’s embassy near Hyde Park, where a protester climbed onto a balcony and replaced the regime’s flag with Iran’s pre-Islamic Revolution lion-and-sun emblem as hundreds of demonstrators below cheered and chanted for “Democracy for Iran” and “Free Iran.”

The flag — used during the rule of the shah before the 1979 Islamic revolution — remained aloft for several minutes before being removed, as London police said additional officers were deployed and multiple arrests were made for aggravated trespass.

Hours earlier, Trump declared that Iran is “looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” adding that the United States “stands ready to help.”

(Read more from “Trump Steps Up Support for Iranian Protesters in Flurry of Posts — ‘USA Stands Ready to Help’” HERE)

Trump Admin to Carry Out Preliminary Attack Plans on Iran — As Officials Consider What Sites to Target: Report

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The Trump administration is reportedly preparing preliminary plans for an attack on Iran, including the option of large-scale airstrikes.

Officials are considering how to follow through on President Trump’s recent elevated threats against the Islamic Republic, including what sites might be targeted, insiders told the Wall Street Journal.

A massive aerial strike campaign on multiple Iranian military targets is one option being considered — although Washington has not reached consensus on a plan of action.

No military equipment or personnel have been moved for a potential attack, the insiders said.

The conversations do not indicate that the US will strike, with the sources explaining that the planning is routine.

Trump, however, teased that the US was gearing up to retaliate should Tehran continue killing protesters in a post on Truth Social. (Read more from “Trump Admin to Carry Out Preliminary Attack Plans on Iran — As Officials Consider What Sites to Target: Report” HERE)

Reports: China Expected to Replace Venezuelan Oil with Iranian Crude

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Oil industry analysts expect China to replace its oil imports from Venezuela with increased purchases of Iranian crude, following the arrest of China’s ally Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces over the weekend.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Maduro’s successor, interim president Delcy Rodríguez, and other Venezuelan officials have agreed to sell up to $2 billion in crude oil to the United States. The deal would divert oil coveted by China to U.S. refineries.

Trump explicitly instructed Rodríguez to evict Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and Cuban agents from Venezuela and sever all economic ties with those nations. He also demanded exclusive contracts and favorable prices with American refiners for Venezuelan crude oil. The socialist Maduro regime long ago destroyed Venezuela’s refining capacity, so the oil-rich but desperately impoverished nation is heavily reliant upon foreign refineries.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told U.S. lawmakers that Venezuela has filled every available tanker and storage facility with crude oil, frustrated by Trump’s blockade on sanctions-defying oil shipments, and the post-Maduro government faces financial collapse in a few weeks if it cannot generate income by selling its crude oil. These two factors would presumably make Caracas receptive to Trump’s demands to divert its shipments from China to the United States.

Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela would hand over 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States immediately. Other administration sources said shipments to American refiners would continue “indefinitely” thereafter, with the profits to be held in U.S.-controlled accounts and shares released back to Venezuela at U.S. discretion. Most of that oil would have otherwise gone to China. (Read more from “Reports: China Expected to Replace Venezuelan Oil with Iranian Crude” HERE)

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Plans to Flee to Russia If Security Team Fails, Turns on Him as Regime Gripped by Unrest: Report

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Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly plans to escape to Moscow if his security team falters or turns on him amid ongoing unrest in his country featuring protesters chanting for his death.

Khamenei, 86, will catch a flight with his inner circle, including roughly 20 aides and members of his family, if the Islamic Republic’s army is overwhelmed by the swelling protests – or if the security forces decide to defect, an intelligence source told The Times.

His son and “nominated heir apparent” would also flee, the source said.

Khamenei’s general escape plan mirrors that of fallen Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who fled Damascus by plane and landed in Moscow with his family – while the country’s opposition forces stormed the nation’s capital in December 2024.

“They have plotted an exit route out of Tehran should they feel the need to escape,” which includes “gathering assets, properties abroad and cash to facilitate their safe passage”, the source said. (Read more from “Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Plans to Flee to Russia If Security Team Fails, Turns on Him as Regime Gripped by Unrest: Report” HERE)

U.S. Blocks Iranian Diplomats From Shopping at Costco, Imposes Luxury Goods Ban During UN Visit

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The Trump administration has moved to restrict Iranian diplomats visiting the United States from accessing wholesale retailers such as Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale Club, as part of a broader effort to limit what officials describe as luxury privileges for the Iranian regime during their visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

In a statement released Monday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the new restrictions are aimed at preventing Iranian officials from engaging in what he called a “shopping spree” while Iranian citizens continue to suffer under economic hardship.

“We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity,” Pigott said.

According to a notice scheduled for publication in the Federal Register, Iranian diplomats — including those stationed at the Iranian Mission in New York — will now require U.S. government approval to obtain memberships and make purchases at any wholesale club store. These stores, known for selling goods in bulk at reduced prices, are widely used by diplomats and foreign delegations to procure goods often unavailable or heavily sanctioned in their home countries.

The policy also includes restrictions on luxury goods. Iranian officials will need specific permission to purchase any item valued over $1,000, including electronics, watches, jewelry, leather and silk apparel, perfumes, alcohol, and vehicles priced above $60,000.

In addition to commercial restrictions, the U.S. has re-imposed strict limitations on the movement of Iranian diplomats, confining them to the immediate vicinity necessary to travel between the United Nations headquarters and their accommodations. This echoes similar restrictions from previous years but arrives at a time of heightened geopolitical tension and ongoing disputes over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to lead the Iranian delegation to the UN, amid rising uncertainty over the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement and the anticipated re-imposition of UN sanctions that were previously lifted under the accord.

The U.S. also denied entry to Palestinian Authority officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, blocking them from attending a scheduled two-state solution conference on Monday.

Photo credit: Flickr

Iranian Lawmakers Backing Development of Nuclear Weapons; Iran Suspends Cooperation with IAEA

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By Iran International. 71 members of parliament sent a letter to the Supreme National Security Council and the heads of the three branches of power, urging a “review of the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine,” Iranian media reported Monday.

The lawmakers wrote that the use of nuclear weapons “was the subject of the Supreme Leader’s 2010 fatwa,” but argued that building and stockpiling them “as deterrence is another matter.” (Read more from “Iranian Lawmakers Backing Development of Nuclear Weapons” HERE)

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Iran Suspends Cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency

By Al Mayadeen English. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced on Saturday the suspension of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.

The decision, made during a high-level council meeting, follows the E3’s “politically motivated move” of reimposing nuclear sanctions on Tehran. . . 

Iranian lawmakers have repeatedly warned that any attempt to exploit pressure tactics will be met with a “harsher and more decisive” response than before.

European diplomats have alleged that Iran has yet to take the necessary steps to avert the return of sanctions, while Iranian officials insist the country can withstand renewed pressure. (Read more from “Iran Suspends Cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency” HERE)