Overview
- In a NewsNation interview, the president said he had issued "very clear orders" in the event of an attempt on his life.
- His remarks directly responded to General Abolfazl Shekarchi, who vowed to kill him if Washington targeted Iran's supreme leader.
- Iranian state media broadcast Shekarchi's threat, which warned of retaliation exceeding the loss of the "hand" that strikes Khamenei.
- Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of military action over Tehran's repression of nationwide protests that began on December 28.
- Voices in the Iranian diaspora, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, have called for highly targeted measures, including against Khamenei.