US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has issued "very firm instructions" for Iran to be destroyed if the country carries out threats to assassinate him, NewsNation reported on January 21.

In recent days, Iranian officials and state media have issued a series of explicit threats of retaliation against President Donald Trump and the United States, including at least one state‑television message widely interpreted as an assassination threat, and multiple military warnings of devastating reprisals if Trump moves against Iran’s leadership

"I've left notification, [if] anything ever happens, we're going to blow the – the whole country is going to get blown up," Trump told NewsNation's "Katie Pavlich Tonight" programme.

Iran has threatened to assassinate Trump since 2020 following the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during Trump's first presidency. The president criticised his predecessor, Joe Biden, for failing to address the threats from Tehran.

"We always said, 'Why isn't Biden saying anything?' Because he didn't. But a president has to defend a president," Trump said during the interview. "I have very firm instructions – anything happens, they're going to wipe them off the face of this earth."

Iranian state-run IRIB aired an image showing Trump at the 2024 Butler rally assassination attempt with text stating: "This time it will not miss the target," the NY Post reported.

Iranian military and political figures have warned that if Trump takes action against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or Iran, they will “set fire” to his “world” or respond “swiftly, decisively and comprehensively,” language read as threatening severe retaliation, including against Trump himself.

“We consider the US president a criminal for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said himself, accusing Trump of personally intervening by encouraging rioters and promising military support. 

Several other Iranian officials have followed up on threats against the US president and the American government in recent days, including the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian. 

In 2024, the Justice Department said authorities thwarted an Iranian-led plot to kill Trump when a man allegedly tasked by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was arrested. Two years earlier, the Iranian regime posted a video depicting an assassination attempt against Trump at his Mar-a-Lago golf course.

"It's a job that has its dangers. You look at the percentages, it's probably the most dangerous job in the world," Trump said. "If you're a president, it's 5.2% [who die in office]. That's a lot."

The US‑based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) currently reports at least about 4,000 people killed in the crackdown, most of them identified as protesters, with a smaller number of security personnel and bystanders.

The latest detailed breakdown gives 4,519 deaths, more than 26,000 arrests and thousands of injuries, while noting thousands of additional suspected deaths still under investigation, Andalou Agency previously reported.