Trump warns Iran over alleged assassination threat as US expands sanctions

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the United States would launch extensive military retaliation if Tehran tried to assassinate him, while the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on an alleged Iranian financier tied to the country’s leadership. The moves added pressure to a fragile diplomatic track after renewed fighting and uncertainty over a ceasefire linked to last month’s preliminary US-Iran agreement.

In a post on Truth Social late Friday US time, Trump said “1000 Missiles” were aimed at Iran and that more would follow if the Iranian government acted on what he described as threats to kill the sitting US president. He added that military orders had been issued and that the US armed forces were prepared, for a one-year period subject to extension, to “decimate and destroy” areas of Iran.

The warning followed reports by The Wall Street Journal and other US outlets that Israel had passed intelligence to Washington about an alleged Iranian plot to kill Trump. Reuters reported that some mourners at Thursday’s funeral for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei carried banners reading, “We Will Kill Trump.” Khamenei was killed in a US airstrike early in the war, according to the report.

The latest escalation came after a comparatively calm day that followed a week of fighting. Trump said earlier Friday on Truth Social that the United States and Iran had agreed to continue discussions, while also stating that the ceasefire was over. Iranian state media did not immediately confirm or deny that Tehran had asked to keep negotiating.

Sanctions add pressure to diplomacy

The Treasury Department said its Office of Foreign Assets Control acted against Ali Ansari, describing him as an Iranian financial facilitator who oversees a global asset network benefiting Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader and the son of Ali Khamenei, as well as other regime elites.

Treasury said the action followed Iran’s renewed attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the week, after the US military carried out new strikes in response to attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the waterway, Treasury withdrew a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil.

Sanctions are a financial policy tool used to restrict targeted individuals and networks from accessing parts of the global financial system. In its statement, Treasury framed the Ansari designation as part of a campaign to isolate Iran’s leadership and preserve assets for the Iranian people.

“The so-called Supreme Leader is hiding in seclusion while his regime crumbles,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the department’s statement. “Treasury will continue using every tool at its disposal to isolate him and other regime elites from the global financial system. We will preserve these assets for the Iranian people.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the new measure breached the June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. In a post on X, he said Iran had kept its commitments and accused Bessent of violating paragraph 9 of the agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” Araghchi wrote.

Oman talks continue

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Araghchi arrived in Oman early Saturday for talks. Oman has served as a key mediator in efforts to end the war.

MS NOW, citing a US official, reported that the two sides would hold “technical talks” and remain committed to seeking solutions despite the return to hostilities. Trump’s Friday post aligned with that account by saying Washington had agreed to continue talks, though he also emphasized that the ceasefire had ended.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.