President Donald Trump posted a direct military threat against Iran late Friday, warning that 1,000 missiles were ready to launch if Tehran moved forward with an alleged plot to kill him. The post appeared on Truth Social as the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against an alleged Iranian financier.
"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!" Trump wrote. He followed that with: "Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran - PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!"
The Wall Street Journal and other U.S. media reported earlier this week that Israel had shared intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump. The threats and counterthreats come during an active war between the United States and Iran that began February 28, when a U.S. airstrike killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other family members.
According to Reuters, some mourners at Khamenei's funeral on Thursday carried banners reading: "We Will Kill Trump." Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, posted on X that revenge was coming. "This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done," he said. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since the February 28 attack that killed his father.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman early Saturday for talks. Oman has played a central role as a mediator between the two sides. A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the negotiations told MS Now that France and the United Kingdom are studying proposals drafted by Oman that could allow navigational fees in the Strait of Hormuz, provided the tolls are not compulsory and have backing from the UN's International Maritime Organization.
Shipping traffic through the strait had nearly stopped after Iran used it to choke off energy supplies from the region early in the war, sending oil prices sharply higher. Under an interim deal struck last month, Iran agreed to allow safe passage for commercial ships through the strait and promised not to charge tolls for 60 days. In exchange, the United States lifted its naval blockade of Iran and temporarily removed sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
Iran said Sunday that the new Treasury sanctions violated that preliminary agreement. Then the situation deteriorated further. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced it had closed the strait until further notice, citing a vessel it said had attempted to transit along an unapproved route. The navy said it fired a warning shot at the ship.
The closure puts the fragile interim deal under immediate pressure just weeks after it was reached. Oman's role as a negotiating channel remains the primary diplomatic avenue still open between Washington and Tehran.