'Wipe them off the face of this Earth' if I'm attacked: Trump warns Iran

US President Donald Trump says he has issued "very firm instructions" to retaliate against Iran if any assassination attempt is made against him, warning the entire country would face destruction

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) warned that America would wipe out Iran if the Islamic nation attempts to assassinate him, saying he has issued “very firm instructions” to respond with total force.

 

Speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” to mark the anniversary of his second-term inauguration, Trump said, “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this Earth.” He made it clear that the response would not be limited to individuals or institutions, but would target the country as a whole if Iran acted on its threats.

 

“Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump told host Katie Pavlich. “I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions.”

 

 

Trump also criticised former US President Joe Biden for failing to respond more forcefully to Iranian threats during his presidency, suggesting that such restraint weakened deterrence. “A president has to defend a president,” Trump said, adding that he would respond decisively even if threats were directed at “somebody, not even a president.”

What triggered Iran’s latest warning to Trump?

 

Trump’s remarks came hours after Iran warned him against taking any action targeting the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The warning followed Trump’s recent call for an end to Khamenei’s nearly 40-year rule.

 

“If any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we will not only cut that hand but also set fire to their world,” said Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, reported news agency Associated Press.

 

In an interview with Politico on Saturday, Trump described Khamenei as “a sick man” who should run his country properly and stop killing people. He added that it was time for Iran to look for new leadership.

Why are tensions simmering between the US and Iran?

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained elevated since nationwide protests erupted in Iran on December 28, 2025, driven by a worsening economic crisis. Authorities responded with a harsh crackdown on demonstrators. Trump has said the United States has drawn two red lines: the killing of peaceful protesters and the risk of mass executions following the unrest.

What is the scale of casualties from Iran’s protests?

At least 4,519 people have been killed during the protests, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, as reported by the Associated Press. The toll exceeds that of any previous unrest in Iran in decades and evokes comparisons with the turmoil surrounding the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

 

Although protests have subsided in recent days, fears remain that the number of casualties could rise further as information continues to emerge from Iran, which has been under a government-imposed internet shutdown since January 8, 2026.

 

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the protests had left several thousand people dead and blamed the United States for instigating the unrest. This marked the first acknowledgement by an Iranian leader of the scale of casualties resulting from the demonstrations.