'Small drone might hit him while sunbathing': Iran warns Trump
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has brushed off a threat from an Iranian official who suggested he could be killed at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. In an interview with state television, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a former senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said, "Trump has done something so that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago." "As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple," Larijani said.
Presidential response
'I guess it's a threat...': Trump on assassination warning
When asked about the threat during a Fox News interview, Trump laughed and said, "It's been a long time. I don't know, maybe I was around seven or so. I'm not too big into it." He added, "Yeah, I guess it's a threat. I'm not sure it's a threat actually, but perhaps it is."
Escalating tensions
Campaign for 'retribution' against Trump
The threat comes amid a crowdfunding campaign called "Blood Pact," which is collecting money for "retribution against those who mock and threaten" Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The campaign has raised over $27 million and aims to reach $100 million. Iranian clerics have also called on Muslims to kill Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in retaliation for threats against Khamenei.
Diplomatic fallout
Iran has made multiple threats against Trump
Although the Secret Service, which protects the US president, does not comment on specific threats, one official told the Daily Mail, "We operate in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment, and the safety...security of the president and all of our protectees remains our highest priority." Iran has made multiple threats against Trump in the past. In 2024, US intelligence warned him of "real and specific threats," especially after the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.