Trump Says Iran Will Be ‘Destroyed’ If He Is Assassinated. But Would The Order Still Stand?

Last Updated:July 13, 2026, 13:35 IST

US retaliation would almost certainly follow if Trump were assassinated, but it would not be automatic or necessarily carried out on his terms.

US President Donald Trump said he has already ordered the American military to “completely decimate and destroy" Iran if it assassinates him.

But can a US president really lock in military retaliation that would be carried out after his death?

What Trump Said About Iran

Trump issued the warning in a social media post amid renewed concerns about Iranian threats against him.

“1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!" he wrote.

He then said the military had already received its instructions.

“Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!," Trump added.

The statement suggested that retaliation had already been locked in for at least a year. Under the US constitutional system, however, those orders would not operate automatically after Trump’s death.

What Happens Legally If Trump Is Assassinated?

If Trump were assassinated, presidential authority would transfer immediately to the vice president.

Under the 25th Amendment, the vice president becomes president when the sitting president dies, resigns or is removed from office. In this case, JD Vance would become president and commander-in-chief.

The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 would determine who takes over if both the president and vice president were unable to serve.

That transfer of power is central to Trump’s claim. Once Vance became president, authority over the US military would pass to him. He would control any decision to retaliate against Iran.

Vance could authorise the attack Trump had demanded. He could also alter its scale, choose a different response or decide not to proceed with his predecessor’s plan.

Trump’s standing instructions could leave the Pentagon prepared for action, but they cannot permanently bind the next president.

Why There Is No Automatic Retaliation

Garrett M Graff, author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die, told The Associated Press that the United States has never used a technical system that automatically launches retaliation after the president’s death.

“The U.S. has, for a whole variety of reasons, never utilized a technical ‘dead man’s switch,’" Graff said.

The US government has extensive continuity-of-government plans for a nuclear attack or another catastrophe that kills the president and other senior officials in Washington. Those arrangements are designed to preserve the chain of command and transfer constitutional authority to the next eligible official.

However, they do not allow the military to automatically launch retaliatory strikes upon the death of a president, even if that president had demanded that the military be ready to do so.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Vows Revenge

Trump’s warning came as Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to avenge the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The elder Khamenei was killed in the initial US and Israeli strikes that began the war in late February and was mourned during funeral events across Iran last week.

“We pledge to take revenge for the pure blood of you and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraceful killers," Mojtaba Khamenei said in remarks aired on Iranian state television.

“This revenge is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out."

During the funeral events, mourners repeatedly displayed posters and banners calling for Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be killed.

Fresh Reports Of Iranian Plots Against Trump

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Israel had alerted US officials to fresh Iranian plots to kill Trump.

The White House declined to comment, but Trump appeared to refer to such threats during the NATO summit in Turkey. “They want to take out the U.S. leader — me," he said.

Asked separately about Iranian threats aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters: “I’m No. 1 on their list."

Sabrina Singh, a former deputy Pentagon press secretary in the Biden administration, said alleged Iranian threats against senior American officials should be treated seriously.

“Iran wanting to target senior American leaders is something that we know is happening," Singh told AP. “You have to take these as credible threats."

Trump was targeted in two domestic assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign. A gunman also stormed the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner he attended in April.

He travelled part of the way back to Washington from Turkey last week aboard an older Air Force One aircraft rather than a newer Qatari-gifted jet, raising fresh questions about the new plane’s security.

Images of the retrofitted aircraft, modified at an estimated cost of $400 million, show that it lacks some missile-detection and countermeasure systems fitted to earlier presidential aircraft.

The switch occurred as the United States and Iran resumed trading strikes, jeopardising last month’s initial agreement to end the war.

Biden Administration Also Warned Iran

This is not the first time Washington has warned Iran against targeting Trump or other senior American figures.

In 2022, the Biden administration threatened consequences after the Justice Department disclosed that a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had allegedly planned to assassinate John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser.

Bolton, who later became a Trump critic, pleaded guilty last month to illegally retaining classified documents in a case led by Trump’s Justice Department.

Then-national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Tehran: “Should Iran attack any of our citizens, to include those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences."

Two years later, during Trump’s campaign against Kamala Harris, the Biden administration again quietly warned Iran. Officials made clear that an attack on Trump would be considered an act of war.

Trump’s latest threat therefore reflects a broader US position that targeting an American leader would bring severe consequences. But his claim that orders are already in place does not mean retaliation can happen automatically.

If Trump were assassinated, the military would answer to the new president. The final decision on whether to carry out his plan to “decimate and destroy" Iran would no longer be Trump’s.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

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