As fears continue to mount about the possibility of war between the U.S. and Iran, an Iranian state-run newspaper published a death threat against President Donald Trump. The newspaper, Kayhan, is run by the country’s most hardline factions. The editor of the newspaper was selected by the supreme leader. The death threat has split the country, and political leaders have warned that it could give Trump a reason to order a military attack against the country.
The Death Threats Were Published On Saturday
The column was published on Saturday, and the dialogue was meant to be threatening. The column read, “What’s What’s up with this Donald Trump? Who does he think he is to threaten several countries every day? Threatening military attacks, sanctions, and increasing tariffs… Any day now, in revenge for the blood of Martyr Soleimani, several bullets will be fired into Trump’s empty head, and he’ll drink the cup of damnation.”
Soleimani was a commander of the elite Quds Force and was killed in January 2020 in a drone attack ordered by Trump during his first term. After Soleimani’s death, the country repeatedly said that it would seek revenge. It held a court session for Trump, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former head of U.S. Central Command Kenneth F. McKenzie. If the three men visit Iran, they could face a death sentence for organizing the military strike.
The Threat Divided The Country
The newspaper published that Trump’s hypothetical assassination would “make the hearts of all righteous people happy, all those who love martyrs, the oppressed people of Gaza, and the resistance forces.” On Sunday, the newspaper again made threats, writing that Trump’s assassination would be a “good event.” Adding that “before any shots have been fired, some of the domestic lackeys and American bootlickers have gotten really scared and have started hurling insults and curses at Kayhan’s editor-in-chief.”
Many Iranians were angered by the threat. One regime supporter said, “If US intelligence agencies intend to fabricate an assassination plot against Trump to justify an attack on Iranian soil, what better evidence could they present than this article in Kayhan?”
Tension Between The Two Countries Mounts
The death threat comes as Iranian and U.S. officials have made increasingly hostile comments. On Saturday, Gen. Hossein Salami, who is the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard, said, “We are not worried at all. We are absolutely not concerned about war. We will not start war, but we are ready for war. A great power has been accumulated. If the enemy wants to see the reality of our power, we are ready.”
The U.S. has not publicly responded to the threat. Last week, Trump warned about possible air strikes and more sanctions if it failed to agree to a deal to limit its nuclear ambitions. Trump moved stealth B-2 bombers to a military base in the Chagos Islands. Iran has said that it will target the base where it was attacked. Under Trump, the U.S. position on the Middle East has radically shifted.
Both Biden’s and Trump’s administrations were warned by US intelligence agencies that Israel could target key sites in the country’s nuclear program this year. The U.S. is pushing for complete nuclear disarmament, but Iran is looking for ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018. Earlier this week, a senior advisor to the Iranian supreme leader warned that Iran would develop nuclear weapons if Trump ordered military strikes.
