Trump threatens to ‘decimate’ Iran if it tries to kill him

President Donald Trump threatened to “decimate and destroy” Iran if Tehran acts on threats to assassinate him, as the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned an alleged Iranian financier.

Iran said Saturday that the new financial measure was a violation of the preliminary deal the two warring countries struck last month as its foreign minister reportedly arrived in Oman for talks.

“1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Friday U.S. time.

“Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!,” he added.

The Wall Street Journal and other U.S. media reported earlier this week that Israel had shared intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

According to Reuters, some mourners at the funeral on Thursday of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike early in the war, carried banners reading: “We Will Kill Trump”.

In a post on X, Khamenei’s son and successor as Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, promised to avenge the deaths of those killed in U.S. strikes.

“This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done,” Mojtaba Khamenei said. He has not been seen in public since the attack on Feb. 28 at the start of the war that killed his father and other family members.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman early Saturday for talks. Oman has been a key mediator in efforts to end the war.

A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks told MS Now that France and the U.K. are studying proposals drafted by Oman that may allow the charging of navigational fees in the strait of Hormuz, so long as the tolls are not compulsory and have the support of the UN’s International Maritime Organization that regulates sea transport.

Shipping traffic through the strait practically ground to a halt after the start of the war, as Iranian forces choked off vital energy supplies from the Middle East, sending oil prices soaring.

Under the interim deal with the U.S., Iran promised safe passage to commercial ships through Hormuz and agreed to not charge tolls for 60 days. In exchange, the U.S. lifted its naval blockade of Iran and temporarily removed sanctions on its oil sales.

But Tehran has insisted in the three weeks since the deal that ships are entitled to safe passage only if they use a northern route through Iran’s territorial waters.

The U.S. president’s latest verbal salvo came after a day of relative calm following a week of fighting and fears that a fragile ceasefire could be about to break down.

Trump said early Friday said that the United States and Iran have agreed to continue peace talks, even though the ceasefire established by last month’s preliminary deal has been scrapped.

In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that the Islamic Republic “has asked us to continue ‘talks'” and that “we have agreed to do so.”

“But the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote.

Iran’s state media channels did not immediately confirm or deny that it had asked to continue negotiations.

Trump’s early Friday post confirmed a report by MS NOW, citing a U.S. official, that the warring powers will engage in “technical talks” and remain committed to finding solutions despite a return to hostilities.

The U.S. military conducted renewed rounds of offensive strikes against Iran in retaliation for the three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz coming under attack. The U.S. Treasury Department subsequently withdrew a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell its oil.

Treasury subsequently stepped up the pressure on Iran with sanctions against an alleged financier it accused of helping new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late leader Ali Khamenei.

“Following Iran’s resumption of attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Iranian financial facilitator Ali Ansari (Ansari), who oversees a sprawling global network of assets benefitting Iran’s leader—Mojtaba Khamenei—and other regime elites,” the department said in a statement.

“The so-called Supreme Leader is hiding in seclusion while his regime crumbles,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was quoted as saying in the statement. “Treasury will continue using every tool at its disposal to isolate him and other regime elites from the global financial system. We will preserve these assets for the Iranian people.”

Araghchi said the move was a violation of the June memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran.

“Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

“That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States. Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance,” he added.