Donald Trump has warned he may be assassinated by Iran, saying he is the regime’s “number one target” as he threatened to hit the country “hard again tonight”. Speaking at the Nato summit in Turkey, the US president said: “Iran had leaders, they’re gone. And they had another set of leaders; they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders. They may be gone. Who knows? And you know what? I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target.”
Trump’s latest comments came after the US and Iran exchanged fire, with each side accusing the other of violating a ceasefire that was supposed to be in place. Days after Trump signed a peace agreement with Iran, US Central Command (Centcom) declared it had hit multiple targets across the country. In response, Iran launched attacks on 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, while the US carried out fresh strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom said the US assault was designed “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway”. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps framed its action as retaliation for what it called a US ceasefire violation.
“Trump says he may be assassinated by Iran as he is their 'number one target' amid fragile ceasefire talks.”
Despite the escalation, Trump acknowledged that negotiations were continuing. He said of his chief negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner: “I don’t care, they can talk. But I think they’re wasting their time.” The BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen reported that the negotiating process is fragile, with a source among the mediators describing the situation as “a setback for sure”. The atmosphere, he added, is “very tense”. That came after Trump called Iranian leaders “scum” and “sick people” and said: “I don’t want to deal with them anymore.” Yet the president also seemed to accept that he has no better option than talks, having tried and failed with Israel to destroy the Iranian regime.
Trump rejected the idea that the war had been a “strategic dead end”, calling it “a tremendous military success”. He said: “I’m not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play games, but I’m not sure I want to make a deal. Let’s just finish the job.” The US has also reinstated sanctions on Iran after the latest strikes on ships. Meanwhile, at the same summit, Trump launched a separate attack on Spain, calling the Nato ally “hopeless” and “a wasted cause”. He said: “I want no business with them.”