Trump Warns Iran of Total Destruction as U.S. Military Posture Grows

President Donald Trump warned that the Iranian regime would face total destruction if it attempts to assassinate him, issuing his most explicit threat yet as the United States visibly escalates its military posture toward the Middle East.

In an interview aired Tuesday night on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Trump said he had already issued firm instructions regarding any attempt on his life. “If anything happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” he said, adding: “I have very firm instructions. If something happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”

The interview followed earlier remarks by Trump at a White House press conference, where he claimed Iran had planned mass executions of protesters and backed down only after U.S. warnings. “They were going to hang 837 people, and we let them know that if that happens, that will be a very bad day for them, and they decided not to do it,” Trump said. 

Alongside the escalating rhetoric, U.S. military movements have intensified. Yesterday, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been operating in the South China Sea, passed through the Strait of Malacca and began moving west through the Indian Ocean. U.S. officials cited by American media said the carrier and its accompanying destroyers are only days away from entering Middle Eastern waters. According to U.S. reports based on tracking data, the aircraft carrier George Bush was instructed to prepare for possible movement toward the Middle East yesterday as well.

Additional indicators of readiness have emerged in parallel. Over the past several days, multiple U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft were observed departing bases in California and Maine and moving across the Atlantic, with reports indicating that several are heading toward southern Europe.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States has also begun moving additional air and missile defense systems to the region, including Patriot and THAAD batteries. The deployment of advanced defensive systems suggests preparation for potential Iranian missile or drone retaliation.

The military movements come as Trump continues to press his advisers for what he calls “decisive” military options against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, prompting the Pentagon and White House to review a range of scenarios. These reportedly include actions aimed at toppling the Iranian regime, as well as more limited strikes on facilities linked to the IRGC. 

Iranian officials responded with sharp warnings. In an opinion article published in The Wall Street Journal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whose invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos was rescinded due to Iran’s crackdown on protesters, warned that Tehran would retaliate forcefully against any renewed assault. “Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” he wrote.

Araghchi cautioned that any full-scale confrontation would be prolonged and regional. “An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House,” he added.

Iran’s military leadership echoed the warning. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, said that any move against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would trigger sweeping retaliation. “If any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also set fire to their world,” he said.

Although Trump has recently signaled that he has, for now, delayed authorizing strikes against Iran, the continued exchange of threats and the layered buildup of U.S. forces show the standoff remains unresolved.