Trump warns he left instructions to ‘obliterate’ Iran if he is assassinated
President Trump on Tuesday said that he has left instructions that if Iran were to assassination him, the country should be destroyed.
The president made the remark after signing an executive order in the Oval Office that reiterates applying maximum pressure on Tehran by giving him all the possible tools to engage with its government, calling the action “very tough on Iran.”
“I’m going to sign it but hopefully we are not going to have to use it very much,” Trump said, adding that he wants to see about working out a deal with Iran so everybody “can live together.”
When questioned about Iran and proxies threatening to assassinate him, Trump said the U.S. adversary would be destroyed if that were to happen.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do. Not because of me— if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it,” the president said.
The Justice Department in November revealed an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump during his campaign for the White House this fall. An unsealed criminal complaint revealed that Farhad Shakeri, 51, who is charged with murder-for-hire, allegedly told FBI agents an Iranian official tasked him with focusing on assassinating Trump.
Trump on Tuesday blamed former President Biden for not threatening Iran with obliteration in the event of an assassination when Biden was in the White House.
“Biden should have said that but he never did, I don’t know why. Lack of intelligence perhaps but he never said it. If that happens to a leader or close to a leader— frankly, if you had other people involved also—you would call for total obliteration of a state that did it. That would include Iran,” Trump said.
The president was also questioned on how close he thinks Iran is to developing a nuclear weapon and responded, “too close.”
“They’re pretty close,” he added.
Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Tuesday. He was asked in the Oval Office about whether he would give Netanyahu a green-light should the prime minister ask for help in striking Iranian nuclear facilities, with Trump responding that was to be determined.
"I don't know that that's what he's going to be asking for. I have no idea that it is you're telling me. We're going to have a pretty long meeting. We'll be discussing a lot of things, not only that, but a lot of things. And I'll let you know if the time comes to let you know. But right now, that's not something that I can discuss," the president responded.
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