Trump warns Iran of large-scale retaliation if assassination attempt is made

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would launch 1,000 missiles at Iran if Tehran attempts to assassinate him, and that the U.S. military is capable of destroying Iranian territory within a year. Speaking to reporters, Trump said missiles were already positioned toward Iran and would be fired immediately if the Iranian government carried out what he described as an assassination threat. He said the orders had been given and that U.S. forces had the capacity to completely eliminate all regions of Iran within a year. According to a CNN report, U.S. intelligence has found no evidence of a specific Iranian plot to assassinate Trump. The network said information shared by Israel is based on assessments of intentions among hardline circles in Tehran rather than on a concrete operational plan. U.S. intelligence officials also believe Israel has intensified its intelligence sharing in an effort to influence the Trump administration's posture toward Iran. Trump said Iran had requested to continue negotiations and that Washington had agreed, but added that the ceasefire between the two countries had been declared over and that Iran had been notified. The ceasefire, brokered in June by Pakistan and Qatar, had remained fragile amid disputes over its provisions, including the handling of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.