The United States Secret Service has confirmed it is investigating a video broadcast by Iran's state-owned television network that appears to threaten the life of Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump. The nearly three-minute clip, aired by IRIB, names Barron and shows stylised graphics of locations where he is publicly known to frequent, including Trump Tower in New York.
Secret Service Confirms Awareness of Threat Video
Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said in a statement to CNN: "The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees." He added, "Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence." The video opens with an English-language graphic reading: "Where to kill Barron Trump?!" Near the end of the clip, a narrator referred to a "$10 million reward" for which people were "eagerly waiting."
Iran's Broader Campaign Against the Trump Family
The clip was broadcast over the weekend by IRIB, whose director is appointed directly by Iran's supreme leader. A federal law enforcement source told CNN the video forms part of a broader series of Iranian-produced content targeting the Trump family. Some of those videos have reportedly included movement details and suggestions for how members of the president's family could be killed. Security officials said protective operations are continuously adjusted based on intelligence from the Secret Service, other agencies, police forces, and foreign partners.
While Iranian hardline media have repeatedly aired content threatening President Trump and his family since the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February, this is believed to be the first time Barron Trump has been directly named in such material. Previous threats had targeted first lady Melania Trump.
President Trump Acknowledges Ongoing Threats
President Trump has spoken openly about the danger. Speaking in July at the NATO summit in Turkey, he said: "I'm on whatever list... so far, I guess I've been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn't last very long. These are evil, sick people." Those remarks came shortly before Trump quietly departed the summit on an alternate military aircraft, boarding the plane while concealed inside a catering truck as part of a security operation. A source familiar with the matter told CNN the precaution followed a specific threat involving a shoulder-fired missile, which was serious enough that officials feared for his life if he flew on either version of Air Force One.
US concerns about Iranian assassination plots against Trump stretch back to 2020, when he ordered the drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. During funeral events held in Iran for the late Khamenei in July, mourners were seen carrying posters calling for Trump's death and offering rewards for anyone who avenged the supreme leader's killing.
US Strikes on Iran Continue for 13th Night
Legit.ng earlier reported that the US military has carried out strikes on Iran for the thirteenth night running, with Iranian state media reporting four deaths and five injuries from the latest round of attacks. Iranian media said explosions were heard at key military and commercial locations in the south of the country, including the port city of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island. The ongoing strikes and the new threat video underscore the heightened tensions between the two nations, with the Secret Service continuing to adjust protective measures for the president and his family in response to evolving intelligence.
