In a bold declaration on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that he has instructed advisers to take drastic measures against Iran if the nation were to attempt his assassination. "If they did that, they would be obliterated," Trump stated while signing an executive order aimed at intensifying U.S. sanctions on Iran. The directive includes measures to limit Tehran's oil exports to prevent it from developing nuclear capabilities. "I've left instructions; if they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left," he affirmed during an interaction with reporters, also labeling this approach a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran's nuclear ambitions Source.

U.S. federal authorities have been closely monitoring threats from Iran towards Trump and former officials from his administration for several years. This scrutiny escalated after Iran vowed retaliation for Trump's 2020 authorization of the drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. Tensions rose dramatically following an assassination attempt against Trump during a July campaign rally in Pennsylvania, leading to increased security measures although officials remarked that there was no indication Iran was involved in the incident Source.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a thwarted Iranian plot to kill Trump prior to the presidential election. Allegedly, Iranian operatives had instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, to surveil and prepare an execution plan against the president. Shakeri, still unaccounted for in Iran, reportedly has connections with Iran's criminal network and was directed by a member of the Revolutionary Guard to rapidly develop a plan for Trump's assassination Source.

Officials from Iran dismissed the allegations as unfounded, suggesting that these claims serve to further complicate Iran-U.S. relations. Spokesman Esmail Baghaei referred to the Justice Department's assertions as fabrications by elements linked to Israel Source.

In light of looming threats, Trump has recently removed government security protection from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former national security adviser John Bolton, and others who have faced Iranian threats due to their hardline stances against the Islamic Republic during Trump's presidency Source.