An Iranian political official issued a series of explicit threats against former U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an official assembly in Tehran this week, highlighting growing tensions between the Iranian regime and Western powers amid renewed international pressure over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The statements, made by Khodad Kharay—a local elected representative—came during a session of the Tehran provincial council attended by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Kharay’s threats reflected not only personal animus but also the broader stance of Iran’s leadership in its struggle against Israel and the United States, countries Tehran defines as its principal adversaries in the ongoing conflict over Iran’s regional ambitions and nuclear infrastructure.
Addressing council members and government officials—including high-ranking security figures—Kharay declared his hope for physical harm to come upon Trump, stating he hoped the former American president ‘will not be able to get up,’ and wishing that Netanyahu would ‘take his dreams of conquest to the grave.’ This language underscores the intensity of Iran’s rhetorical and strategic confrontation with leaders who have championed sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Islamic Republic for its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile activities.
Against the backdrop of this assembly, Kharay also dismissed ongoing diplomatic talks in Oman, asserting that any negotiations between Iran and Western powers amounted to ‘direct war with the United States’ because they would demand the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. His statements echo hardline positions in Tehran, signaling the regime’s resistance to compromise even as it faces increasing scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency and western governments.
Iran’s hostile posture and threats have become a mainstay of its foreign policy as the regime intensifies its campaign against Israel and the West. The broader context is Israel’s war against Iranian-backed proxy organizations, which intensified following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre—the deadliest act of antisemitic violence since the Holocaust. This atrocity, which saw Hamas terrorists infiltrate southern Israel, murder and mutilate civilians, and abduct Israeli hostages, was not only a turning point for Israeli security policy but also underscored Iran’s direct role as sponsor and strategic architect of anti-Israel proxy warfare.
Israel’s response, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has consisted of both military and diplomatic campaigns aimed at eliminating terror groups in Gaza and deterring other Iranian proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. The Israeli Defense Forces, under Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, have focused on preemptive strikes and robust defensive measures to prevent further Iranian-orchestrated aggression.
Kharay’s targeting of former President Trump reflects the Iranian leadership’s lingering hostility over the Trump Administration’s exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), the imposition of severe sanctions, and the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Trump’s authorization of the strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani further aggravated anti-American sentiment among Tehran’s leadership, reinforcing the regime’s depiction of Trump as a central antagonist in Iran’s strategic narrative.
Diplomatic efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear and missile programs have repeatedly floundered in the face of Iranian intransigence and proxy aggression. While Western diplomats have sought to revive negotiations over Iran’s atomic activities in forums such as Oman, Tehran’s hardliners have escalated their rhetoric and orchestrated violence across the region. Iranian proxies have used rockets, drones, and terrorist tactics to attack Israeli and American interests throughout the Middle East, with the regime leveraging hostage-taking and violence as tools of leverage in international arenas.
The latest threats serve both as domestic messaging and as signals to Israel, the United States, and the broader international community. Iranian officials routinely use public forums to articulate their ideological opposition to the State of Israel, the legitimacy of its elected leadership, and the presence of Western influence in the region. This approach is reinforced by Iran’s supply of advanced weaponry—including precision-guided missiles and drones—to Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other militant organizations engaged in ongoing hostilities.
For Israel, the threats from Tehran reaffirm the necessity of preemptive deterrence. The Israeli government has responded with a multifaceted approach: combining diplomatic outreach to international partners, intelligence-led operations to disrupt weapons transfers, and military action to eliminate terror infrastructure. Israeli officials view the Iranian regime’s open antagonism as a direct threat to the Jewish state’s survival, one that must be countered through vigilance and resolve.
The United States, for its part, continues to support Israel’s right to self-defense and maintain sanctions regimes targeting Iran’s military and financial networks. Cooperation between Israeli and American intelligence and defense establishments has been strengthened in response to growing evidence of IRGC involvement in global terror and assassination plots, as well as the continued detention of innocent hostages by Hamas and Iranian-backed groups.
The rhetoric expressed by Khodad Kharay is not without precedent. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and senior IRGC officials have repeatedly invoked calls for the destruction of Israel and retaliation against the United States. Such threats—articulated in public assemblies and disseminated via state-controlled media—correspond to the regime’s long-standing pattern of incitement, subversion, and proxy warfare directed at undermining regional stability and the Western-led security architecture.
As international attention remains focused on Iran’s nuclear enrichment and destabilizing activities across the Middle East, Kharay’s public threats highlight the escalating stakes in the confrontation between Israel and the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance”—a network of terror groups and militias aligned with Tehran’s ideology. Western governments and international organizations continue to warn of the risks inherent in Iranian sponsorship of terrorism, as well as the potential for further escalation as diplomatic efforts falter.
Analysts note that as Iran’s nuclear program advances and arms transfers to proxies increase, the probability of a broader regional conflict grows, particularly if diplomatic channels remain blocked by ideological hardliners in Tehran. Israel’s determination to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and to defend its citizens from attacks by Iranian proxies is rooted in both historical experience and the contemporary reality of regional hostilities.
In conclusion, the explicit threats issued by Khodad Kharay in a Tehran assembly attended by top officials are emblematic of the heightened risk environment facing Israel and its Western partners. As the leadership in Jerusalem continues its campaign against Iranian-backed terror and works to strengthen alliances in the face of a determined adversary, vigilance, unity, and strategic clarity remain essential in confronting the ongoing danger posed by Tehran’s expansionist ambitions.
