The threat of Iranian assassination attempts against Donald Trump is credible, analysts warn, as tensions between Washington and Tehran flare into open confrontation once again.
The warning comes days after the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, finally concluded on July 10. Throughout the ceremony in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown, banners and chants called for Trump’s death.
“I am constantly threatened,” Trump told reporters this week. “I am first on their list.”
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been explicit. On Saturday he announced that revenge for his father’s assassination “will most certainly be carried out.”
Israeli intelligence services have relayed information to the Trump administration about specific threats against the president, according to David Rigoulet-Roze, a researcher at the French Institute for Strategic Analysis.
“The information transmitted by the Israeli services to the American administration about explicit threats against Donald Trump is part of a communication strategy,” Rigoulet-Roze told Franceinfo. “But the reality of this threat is not necessarily unfounded, far from it.”
A previous assassination attempt was already made in March 2026, when an ally of the Iranian regime tried to kill Trump. The Secret Service has since tightened security around the president.
The threat environment has worsened dramatically this week. The ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which had held for several months, collapsed. The US military has stated it is prepared to destroy all regions of Iran if necessary.
One participant at the Khamenei funeral in Mashhad told reporters, holding up an anti-Trump banner: “This poster symbolizes our hatred for this accursed Trump. With his killing, we can at least help the oppressed peoples of the world, especially those of Palestine and Gaza.”
Trump himself appears to treat the threats as routine. When a journalist asked if he feared for his life, he replied that death threats are “part of the job.”
But analysts say the convergence of factors, the collapse of the ceasefire, the funeral’s incitement, the supreme leader’s explicit promise of revenge, and Iran’s demonstrated willingness to attempt an assassination, makes this moment more dangerous than previous periods of tension.
The US has not publicly confirmed specific operational details of the threat. But the Secret Service has maintained heightened protective measures around the president since the March attempt. Whether those measures are sufficient against a determined state actor remains an open question.