Iranian state television aired footage of President Trump’s 2024 assassination attempt with a chilling message that “this time, the bullet won’t miss.” The segment was broadcast on Wednesday, January 14, showing Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents after the shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This is a major increase in aggressive threats from Iran. According to Unilad, the caption, translated from Farsi, makes the country’s intentions very clear. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commanders have been promising revenge against the US since the drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani in early 2020.
The threat comes as Iran faces serious problems at home. Mass anti-government protests have been happening since December, causing major instability in the country. The economy is in terrible shape, with the Iranian rial losing value and people demanding political change.
Iran’s internal crisis is driving dangerous foreign policy moves
The government’s response to protests has been harsh. Reports say over 18,000 people have been arrested, and more than 2,400 protesters have died. When governments face this much pressure at home, they often try to distract people by focusing on external enemies.
President Trump has been watching the situation and has warned about possible US action. On January 13, he said his government would not accept the violence, stating that the US would “take very strong action [if] peaceful protestors” were executed by the country.
Trump was clear about the human rights situation, saying, “We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging. We’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”
Trump later said he heard from “good authority” that Iran had stopped plans for executions. He did not explain how the US got this information. However, Trump’s recent praise for Iran has raised questions about his strategy. When asked if US military action was now ruled out, Trump was unclear, saying only that the nation would “watch and see what the process is.”
Iran has issued its own military warnings against any outside involvement. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said military action would be met with immediate force. Meanwhile, the US has been evacuating personnel from Qatar bases as tensions rise.
Qalibaf warned in a televised address that if the US decided to attack, “In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centrers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.”
Published: Jan 17, 2026 02:45 pm