In the shadow of ongoing threats from Iran, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, sent a stern warning to Tehran: any attempt to harm former President Donald Trump will be considered a declaration of war.
According to Fox News, Biden instructed the National Security Council to convey the clear message to the Iranians.
The Iranian threat to Trump's life is not theoretical. Trump's campaign team was recently briefed on specific attempts on his life, which led to an unusual request: the use of military aircraft capable of intercepting missiles in the final weeks of the election campaign.
The source of the threat lies in the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, an action carried out on Trump's orders. Since then, the United States has been investing about $150 million a year in protecting former senior officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and General Kenneth McKenzie, who headed the US Army's Central Command.
The White House is taking the threat very seriously. The spokesman for the National Security Council, Shawn Savit, confirmed that Iran is seeking revenge for the assassination of Soleimani and noted: "We consider this a matter of national and internal security as a top priority, and strongly condemn these blatant threats from Iran."
Trump himself addressed the threat and demanded that Biden make it clear to Iran that harming an American politician would lead to the destruction of the major cities in Iran. "If I were president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case Iran, that if you hurt someone, we will blow your big cities and the whole country to pieces," Trump said.
Meanwhile, Trump has already survived one assassination attempt at a rally in July, and the Secret Service foiled another at his Florida golf course in September. Trump has speculated that the attempts may be related to Iran, although authorities have not yet confirmed this. Trump's campaign has asked for additional security measures, including armored vehicles typically reserved for sitting presidents, additional flight restrictions over rallies and residences, and additional budgets for the Secret Service and local police.
Emess contributed to this article.