Iran's supreme leader pledges revenge for his father's assassination amid Trump death threats
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Mourners touch the coffin of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during this week's funeral procession in Karbala, Iraq. Photo: Elke Scholiers/Getty Images
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei announced on Saturday that revenge for his father's assassination "will most certainly be carried out."
Why it matters: The statement was published after the burial ceremony for his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Throughout the weeklong funeral procession, there were massive public calls for the death of President Trump.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who didn't appear in public during the funeral ceremonies, didn't specifically mention Trump. But earlier this week, Israel gave the U.S. information that suggested Iranian officials recently discussed the idea of assassinating Trump, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
- On his way back from Turkey on Wednesday, Trump traveled in the old Air Force One plane rather than the new plane that the U.S. received from Qatar. The New York Times reported that security concerns prompted the mid-trip switch in planes.
What he's saying: Mojtaba Khamenei — who was seriously wounded in the attack that killed his father, and hasn't appeared in public since — pledged on his Telegram channel to "avenge your pure blood and the blood of all those martyred in these two wars by bringing the criminal and dishonorable killers to justice."
- "This revenge is the demand of our nation, and it will most certainly be carried out. These criminals — whose names are known from top to bottom — will take to their graves the unfulfilled wish of dying peacefully in their beds. They should know that this does not depend on my personal presence or that of any other official," he wrote.
- Khamenei added that whether he is alive or dead, the revenge for his father's death "will be accomplished," and stressed that "soon, freedom-loving people throughout the world will each carry out part of this divine mission."
The other side: Shortly before midnight on Friday, Trump published a post on his Truth Social account referring to the Iranian threats against him.
- "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!," he wrote.
- Trump added that he has already given orders to the U.S. military "for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran."
He ended his post with: "PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!"
