U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Mike Waltz on Thursday (Jan. 15) condemned the Iranian regime’s assassination plots on U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. government officials, accusing the regime for its long list of human rights violations and being the world’s number one state-sponsor of terrorism.
Waltz’s condemnation came as the Iranian state television reportedly broadcast an image of Trump during the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler Pennsylvania with the words “This time the bullet won’t miss the target.”
The state television was referring to Trump’s assassination attempt during his election campaign in Butler where a bullet narrowly missed him on the head and grazed his right ear instead.
The Iranian regime’s death threat was seemingly in response to Trump’s support for the Iranian protestors since the protests broke out in recent weeks. Trump had also suggested taking action against the Iranian leaders for killing the protestors.
Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that Trump and the U.S. stand by the Iranian people.
“President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter and no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime,” he said.
“Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before and therefore is putting forward the lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets. They are afraid,” Waltz said. “Enough is enough. We all have a responsibility to support the Iranian people and to put an end to the regime’s neglect and oppression of the Iranian nation.”
U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on the possibility of U.S. action against the Iranian regime saying, “What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.”
Iran’s Assasination Attempts on Trump, US Government Officials
Iran’s latest assassination threat on Trump is not the first death threat against him. Other U.S. government officials and individuals critical of the Iranian regime have been targeted, according to the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ).
DOJ released a statement in November 2024, charging three individuals, Farhad Shakeri of Iran, Carlisle Rivera from New York, and Jonathon Loadholt from New York, for their alleged involvement in a plot to kill an American journalist in New York who has been a prominent critic of the Iranian regime.
The statement also stated that according to statements made by Shakeri in recorded interviews with law enforcement agents, he said he was tasked on Oct. 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill Trump.
During the interview, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an Iranian military and counterintelligence agency under the authority of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray said “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” according to the statement.
The statement said that the Government of Iran is actively targeting nationals of the U.S. and its allies living in countries around the world for attacks, to repress and silence dissidents critical of the Iranian regime as well as avenge the U.S. killing of then-Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in January 2020.
IRGC-QF is an external operations force of IRGC.
IRGC has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State since Apr. 15, 2019.
“The IRGC has publicly stated its desire to avenge the death of Soleimani, and, among its activities, the IRGC plots and conducts attack operations outside Iran targeting U.S. citizens residing in the United States and abroad,” the statement added.
