Trump warns of 1,000 missiles aimed at Iran after funeral calls for his killing
US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy 1,000 missiles and decimate Iran after mourners at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral openly called for his assassination, as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz and a fragile ceasefire.
Trump Issues stark warning to Iran
US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that 1,000 missiles are locked and loaded, with thousands more to follow, if Iran acts on assassination threats against him. [2] He vowed that the US military would completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran for a one year period of time, subject to extension. [5] Trump described the threat as coming over calls to assassinate or attempt to assassinate him. [2] The US president added that orders have already been given and the US military is ready, willing, and able to carry out the destruction. [5] Trump repeatedly invoked the name of God in Arabic during the war and its uneasy ceasefire while threatening to destroy Iran’s very civilization. [2]
Funeral for Khamenei features anti-Trump calls
The threats followed Khamenei's funeral, which featured repeated calls for the killing of both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [2] Mourners held posters or banners calling for Trump to be killed along with Netanyahu during the ceremony. [2] Iran only buried Khamenei this week in a dayslong funeral ceremony that saw his body taken to cities in both Iran and Iraq. [2] The Iran war’s opening moments on Feb. 28 saw an airstrike that killed Khamenei, 86. [2]
Dispute over Strait of Hormuz escalates
US officials demanded Iran publicly affirm the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping without attacks. [2] Tehran insists on sole control and fees for vessels, contradicting its status as an international waterway. [2] Senior US officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won’t be attacked any longer. [2] Tehran has not done so and instead insists the route remain under its control and that it be allowed to charge ships moving through it. [2] About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait before the war began. [2] Iran’s grip on the strait during the conflict led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have sharply dropped since wartime highs of $120 a barrel. [2] The comments come amid an interim deal to end the Iran war that began Feb. 28 with an airstrike killing Khamenei, followed by US strikes, Iranian retaliation, and a June 17 ceasefire now buckling under crossfire. [2]
US military team aids Lebanon-Israel deal
Separately, a US Centcom delegation arrived in Beirut to aid implementation of a June 26 Lebanon-Israel agreement ending conflict with Hezbollah. [1] The delegation’s visit comes ahead of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Rome next week, where technical teams are expected to discuss details of the framework agreement. [1] As part of the deal, Israel agreed to pull back its forces from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon that would then be taken over by the Lebanese army. [1] A US State Department spokesperson confirmed that Israel and Lebanon had reached the implementation stage of the agreement and that the first pilot zone, from which Israeli forces are expected to withdraw, will launch within days. [1]
Context of recent Iran conflict
The war began on Feb. 28 with an airstrike that killed Khamenei. [2] There had been multiple days of US airstrikes targeting Iran, as well as Iranian retaliatory fire targeting nations across the Mideast. [2] Those strikes had been sparked by Iran attacking three ships in the strait earlier this week. [2] The resumption of strikes this week came after what US officials described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners trying to sabotage the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. [2] Iran has insisted its theocracy is unified after the war under the country’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. [2] Trump is giving US negotiators limited time to reach a deal with Iran, but officials underscored that the president had a wide range of options if talks fall apart. [2]
What to watch next: The first pilot zone under the Lebanon-Israel agreement is expected to launch within days, with Israeli forces set to withdraw and technical teams scheduled to meet in Rome next week.
