Donald Trump says he set orders for massive US strike on Iran if assassinated

President Donald Trump announced that he has left standing orders for the U.S. military to bomb Iran at unprecedented levels if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him. He told reporters, "I've left instructions—if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before." The remarks came amid renewed Iranian threats following the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and were repeated at a NATO summit in Ankara.

Legal experts note that no automatic “dead‑man's switch” exists; any response would be decided by Vice President JD Vance under the 25th Amendment. Iranian officials have vowed retaliation, while the White House has not confirmed whether Trump's directives would be carried out.

The statements raise concerns about U.S.–Iran tensions and the constitutional process for military action after a president’s death.