Iranian state television broadcast provocative footage on Sunday that contained a direct threat aimed at former US President Donald Trump. This broadcast followed Trump's recent warnings about possible American military action against Iran's leadership.
Footage Shows Explicit Threat
The aired footage displayed a mourner at a ceremony honoring Iranian security personnel killed in recent unrest. This individual held a placard featuring an image of Donald Trump. The image specifically referenced the assassination attempt Trump survived during a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Farsi text written beneath the photograph delivered a stark message. It read, "This time it will not miss the target." This statement represents the most explicit threat Tehran has issued against Trump to date.
Context of Rising Tensions
This incident occurs against a backdrop of escalating rhetoric. Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States would strike Iran if it continued its severe crackdown on anti-government protesters within the country.
The footage appeared on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, known as IRINN. This channel operates under strict state control. The broadcast took place during a funeral ceremony held in Tehran.
Funeral for "Martyrs"
The ceremony honored more than one hundred members of Iran's security forces and others. Iranian authorities officially described these individuals as "martyrs" killed during recent demonstrations. Attendees at the event held banners with the slogan "Death to America!" Others carried photographs of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency provided further details. This agency maintains close ties to Iran's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Tasnim reported that this funeral marked just the first in a planned series of state ceremonies for security personnel in the coming days.
Disputed Accounts of Unrest
Rights groups operating outside Iran have offered a different assessment of the violence. These organizations state that over 150 members of security forces and government personnel have died during more than two weeks of widespread unrest.
Iranian authorities have consistently characterized the demonstrations as "riots." They accuse protesters of carrying out what they label "acts of terror." The protests initially erupted on December 28 following a collapse in the value of Iran's rial currency. This economic pressure stems largely from international sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.
History of Threats and Plots
This is not the first time Iran has been linked to threats against Donald Trump. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed retaliation for Trump's order to assassinate General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. Soleimani led the Quds Force, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In 2022, Iranian state-linked media released a video depicting a simulated assassination attempt on Trump. This dramatization was set at his Mar-a-Lago golf course in Florida ahead of the 2024 election.
The United States Justice Department has also acknowledged disrupting an Iranian-directed plot. Officials stated that in 2024, they thwarted a plan to kill Trump following the arrest of an individual named Farhad Shakeri. Court documents indicate Shakeri was allegedly tasked by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps with carrying out the assassination.
Official Iranian Narrative
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented an alternative account of the protests in a recent interview. He claimed the demonstrations began peacefully and that authorities initially engaged with demonstrators. Araghchi asserted the unrest turned violent only after what he described as "terrorist elements led from outside" Iran became involved.
The broadcast of this direct threat signals a significant escalation in Tehran's rhetoric. It directly responds to Trump's own warnings and underscores the deeply strained relationship between the two nations.
