Iran’s new supreme leader vows revenge as Trump threatens to ‘decimate’ country

President Donald Trump warned Iran that "1,000 missiles are locked and loaded" and that the U.S. military stands ready to "completely decimate and destroy all areas" of the country if Iranian leaders attempt to carry out an assassination plot against him. The threat, posted on Truth Social, came as Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei doubled down on calls for vengeance over the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declaring that "revenge is the demand" of Iran and that it would be carried out against "criminals, whose names are known from top to bottom".bloomberg+3

The dueling threats have plunged the already fragile diplomatic framework between Washington and Tehran into deeper crisis, just weeks after the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June aimed at ending months of armed conflict.cnbc

A Ceasefire in Name Only

Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran "over" on July 8 while speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, calling Iranian leaders "sick people" and "scum". Yet in the same breath, he gave U.S. negotiators the green light to continue talks, later posting on Truth Social that "Iran has asked us to continue talks. We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them in no uncertain terms that the ceasefire is over".youtube+2

The contradictory signals followed a flare-up in hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran renewed attacks on shipping and the U.S. struck Iranian military targets in retaliation. The violence undermined a June 17 agreement that had called for an immediate halt to military actions and the reopening of the strait for at least 60 days.axios+1

Assassination Fears Fuel Escalation

The crisis deepened after Israel shared intelligence with the U.S. indicating Iran had devised a new and "specific" plot to assassinate Trump, according to CNN and The Wall Street Journal. U.S. officials had already been tracking "a steady drumbeat" of threat intelligence in recent weeks, but the Israeli warning concerned a fresh plan.cnn+2

In response, Trump suggested he had issued a standing order for the military to attack Iran in the event of his assassination, though U.S. News & World Report noted that Vice President JD Vance would ultimately make that decision as commander-in-chief in such a scenario.usnews+1

Regional Mediators Press for Diplomacy

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia — the group that helped broker the original Memorandum of Understanding — have urged both sides to return to the negotiating table. Egypt's foreign ministry said mediators called on all parties to "give priority to the language of diplomacy and dialogue". Whether that appeal can survive the current cycle of threats remains an open question, with no new round of formal talks yet scheduled.wikipedia+1