President Trump warned on Tuesday that Iran would be "obliterated" if it ever tried to assassinate him, saying that he has already prepared an order to ensure such action if he is killed. ""If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end," Trump said in the Oval Office while signing an order to reinstate "maximum pressure" on Tehran.
The directive instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intensify sanctions on Iran's oil industry and crack down on violations of existing restrictions, aiming to cut its exports to "zero." This came moments before Trump said US would take over the Gaza strip.
Trump Issues Chilling Threat
"I've left instructions. If they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left, and they shouldn't be able to do it. And Biden should have said that, but he never did. I don't know why. Lack of intelligence, perhaps."
Trump said that he was signing the order reluctantly, emphasizing that it was necessary to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Trump said, "With me, it's very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," while indicating that the nation is "dangerously close" to producing weapons-grade uranium.
Iran has reportedly tried to target Trump and several officials from his first administration in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, which was ordered by Trump.
Despite the threat, Trump ordered the withdrawal of security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton.
"Iran now exports more than 1.4 million barrels of crude oil daily, over 80% of which goes to China. From February 2021 to October 2023, the regime has taken at least $88 billion from these illicit oil exports," wrote the group.
"Iran is deriving significant economic benefits from pervasive sanctions evasion, with Iran's annual economic growth increasing by more than four percent and net foreign currency reserves up by 45 percent."
Straight and Aggressive
Republican lawmakers separately urged Biden to revoke a sanctions waiver that permits Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, estimating that the waiver would give Iran access to $10 billion.
In 2023, Biden approved the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian oil revenues held by South Korea as part of a deal to secure the release of five Iranian-Americans from prison.
The funds were intended to be managed by Qatar and used by Iran for humanitarian purchases like food and medicine.
However, after Iran-backed Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis in the October 7, 2023, attack, the U.S. and Qatar reportedly reached a discreet agreement to halt the distribution of the funds.
