On Wednesday, September 25, Donald Trump stated that Iran should be “blown to smithereens” if it is found to be involved in any threats against a U.S. presidential candidate or former president.
His comments follow U.S. intelligence reports indicating potential threats from Tehran to Trump’s life, particularly after two recent assassination attempts.
“As you know, there have been two assassination attempts on my life that we know of, and they may or may not involve — but possibly do — Iran,” Trump said at a campaign event in North Carolina.
“If I Were The President…”
“If I were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens,” he added.
Trump went on to say he and the United States have been “threatened very directly by Iran” and that a firm message needed to reach Tehran that there would be the most severe consequences should it be involved in plots to kill or hurt a US president or presidential candidate.
“The best way to do it is through the office of the president, that (if) you do any attacks on former presidents or candidates for president, your country gets blown to smithereens, as we say.”
Trump described it as “strange” that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was present in New York this week, receiving significant protection while attending the United Nations General Assembly, despite the threats against him. “We have large security forces guarding him, and yet they’re threatening our former president and the leading candidate to become the next president of the United States,” Trump remarked, referring to himself.
The U.S. is required to provide security for foreign leaders attending the General Assembly under its treaty obligations with the United Nations and domestic laws.
Iran Denis Involvement In Attempts On Trump’s Life
Trump’s comments come at a time when global leaders are working to prevent escalating tensions between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel. Iran has denied any involvement in attempts on Trump’s life, particularly following a shooting incident at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, which resulted in one death and several injuries.
Shortly after the rally shooting, Trump stated on social media that if Iran were to kill him, he would hope for America to “obliterate Iran, wipe it off the face of the Earth.” A recent report from a U.S. Senate committee criticized the security measures taken during Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, noting that elite Secret Service countersnipers were deployed based on “credible intelligence” of a threat.
Trump also suggested on Wednesday that the suspected assailant in Pennsylvania may have used “potentially foreign-based apps,” and he pointed out that the alleged gunman involved in the second attempt in Florida possessed multiple mobile phones that authorities have been unable to access. “They must get Apple to open these foreign apps and unlock the six phones from the second lunatic,” he stated. “Because we have a lot at stake.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland labeled the assassination attempts as “abhorrent,” emphasizing that the nation has now faced two such attempts against the former president in just three months. He affirmed that the Justice Department will not tolerate violence against democracy and is committed to holding those responsible accountable.
In August, the U.S. revealed it had thwarted a plan by a Pakistani linked to Tehran to assassinate a U.S. official in retaliation for the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who died in a U.S. strike in Iraq in 2020, ordered by then-President Trump.
Furthermore, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned about attempted cyberattacks on the presidential campaigns of Trump and his rival, Kamala Harris, allegedly orchestrated by Iranian-backed actors.
