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US President Donald Trump said he has left instructions for the United States to retaliate against Iran with force "at levels that they've never seen before" if he is assassinated, according to a report by the New York Post cited by the Jerusalem Post. The statement comes amid heightened tensions following the assassination of Iran's former supreme leader and reported threats against Trump's life.
Coverage Comparison
The Jerusalem Post reported that Trump made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post on Friday, July 10, 2026. The quote, as cited, was: "I've left instructions, if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before." The report also noted that Trump had made a similar statement in January 2025, saying Iran would be "obliterated" if assassins succeeded. The New York Times, as cited by the Jerusalem Post, quoted experts saying a president cannot leave instructions for military action after death, as all authority would transfer to the successor.
The Jerusalem Post also reported that Iranian crowds at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, called for Trump's death. The funeral, which began on July 3 in Tehran, has drawn high-level delegations from at least 100 countries, according to TASS, Russia's state news agency. TASS reported that Trump told Axios that Washington has no intention of killing Iran's leadership, saying, "One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with." Trump also said Iran is "begging to make a deal" and expressed surprise at some Iranians crying at the funeral, adding, "Maybe it's fake tears."
Key Claims
- Trump said he left instructions for the US to retaliate if Iran succeeds in assassinating him, as reported by the Jerusalem Post citing the New York Post. The quote: "I've left instructions, if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before."
- Trump previously stated in January 2025 that he had left instructions in case of his assassination, saying Iran would be "obliterated," per the Jerusalem Post.
- Israeli intelligence about an Iranian assassination plot was shared with the US president, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and cited by the Jerusalem Post. Trump disputed the report, saying, "No, no, Israel came up with nothing," and added he had been Iran's primary target for "a long time."
- US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed to Fox News that Israel had warned the US about a specific Iranian assassination plan against Trump, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
- Huckabee stated he saw no significant evidence of a "peaceful part" of the Iranian regime, saying, "What the Iranians are saying and doing is nothing that they haven't been doing for 47 years."
- Israel's Embassy to the US denied that Israel had an ulterior motive for sharing intelligence, saying it acted as part of the two nations' partnership, according to the Jerusalem Post.
- Trump responded to the alleged assassination threats by saying "1,000 missiles are locked and loaded," as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
- TASS reported that Trump said the US has no intention of killing Iran's leadership, as that would make it impossible to continue talks. He said, "One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with."
- The funeral for Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes, began on July 3 in Tehran, with high-level delegations from at least 100 countries attending, as reported by TASS.