Trump says US should wipe Iran 'off the face of the earth' if he's assassinated

Former US president Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US should "destroy" Iran if he were to be assassinated by agents of the Islamic Republic.

The Republican presidential nominee made the remarks on his social media platform Truth Social, where he posted the comments alongside a clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"If they do 'assassinate President Trump,' which is always a possibility, I hope that America obliterates Iran, wipes it off the face of the Earth — If that does not happen, American Leaders will be considered gutless cowards!" Trump wrote.

The remarks come weeks after a failed assassination attempt on the former president, as well as reports that the US Secret Service had beefed up his security over intelligence that Iran was also plotting attempts on his life.

"NSC [National Security Council] directly contacted USSS [United States Secret Service at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday," a security official told CNN.

The CNN report said that although the intelligence was received weeks ahead of the 13 July assassination attempt, Iran was not thought to be behind the shooting by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. 

Following the report, Tehran's ambassador to the United Nations called the allegations "unsubstantiated and malicious".

During his term as the forty-fifth US President, Trump took a belligerent line on Iran by unilaterally withdrawing Washington from the landmark 2014 nuclear accord and by overseeing the assassination of top Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.

"He was a monster. And he's no longer a monster. He's dead," Trump said at the time. "He was planning a big attack and bad attack for us. I don't think anyone can complain about it."

During his current campaign, Trump has blasted President Joe Biden's approach to Iran, vowing to bolster US defence capabilities if he were to be elected president in November.

"We will replenish our military and build an Iron Dome missile defence system to ensure no enemy can strike our homeland," Trump said at the Republican National Convention earlier in July.

"The entire world, I tell you this: we want our hostages back and they better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price," he added, referring to US citizens held by Hamas in Gaza.