Trump says Iran may kill him: ‘I’m their number one target’
Trump says Iran is targeting him for assassination, calling himself their ‘number one target’ as the US-Iran ceasefire collapses and strikes resume around the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said Iran is actively targeting him for assassination, telling reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara that he is Tehran’s ‘number one target’ as the US-Iran ceasefire falls apart and strikes resume around the Strait of Hormuz.
The comments come alongside a fresh round of US military action, a revoked Iranian oil license, and Iranian retaliation against US bases in the Gulf, pushing geopolitical risk back to the top of the tape.
What Trump said
Speaking at a NATO news conference in Turkey on July 8, Trump said, ‘They had leaders, they’re gone. And they had another set of leaders, they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows?’ before adding, ‘And you know what? I may be gone too. Because I’m their number one target.’
The president did not provide details about the alleged plot, and the remarks came in response to a question about why he was not using the new presidential jet gifted by Qatar to leave the NATO summit and whether the switch was tied to Iran security concerns.
Aboard Air Force One later, Trump told a reporter he faces ‘a threat all the time,’ adding, ‘I’m No. 1 on their list, before you… But if I go, you go,’ and switched from the newer Qatari-gifted jet to the older Air Force One in light of the risks.
Ceasefire ‘over’
The latest exchange of strikes is jeopardizing a preliminary peace deal signed last month, with Trump saying on July 8 that he considers the ceasefire ‘over’ and calling Iran’s leaders ‘scum,’ ‘sick people’ and ‘cuckoo.’
The commentary underscored the eroding US-Iran relationship amid renewed hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz, after the US launched a new round of strikes on July 7 and revoked a license for Iran to sell oil in retaliation for attacks on ships in the strait, with Iran responding by targeting US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Iranian state television reported that eight military personnel from Iran’s air and naval forces were killed in US strikes in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.
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Why the market cares
The Strait of Hormuz carries a meaningful share of global seaborne crude. CENTCOM said strikes were designed to ‘further degrade’ Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the strait, following a Trump threat of a ‘big attack’ and the reinstatement of a naval blockade on the corridor.
Tit-for-tat strikes intensified overnight, with each side accusing the other of violating the terms of the 60-day ceasefire signed last month. Any sustained disruption to shipping in the strait tends to bid crude, tanker rates, and defense names while weighing on airlines and broad risk.
Assassination backdrop
A federal jury convicted Iranian operative Asif Merchant in March of plotting to kill Trump in 2024 before the war, with Merchant saying he was sent by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Federal counterterrorism agencies have been on high alert for potential Iranian attacks in the US since the war began, and Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including one at a 2024 campaign rally and another at one of his golf courses in Florida, plus a charged attempt at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in April.
Options market and stocks to watch
Traders should watch defense, energy, and shipping names as the ceasefire unwinds and strikes continue.
- LMT and RTX: watch for flow tied to prolonged Middle East operations and munitions replenishment demand.
- XOM and CVX: watch for crude sensitivity if Strait of Hormuz disruption widens.
- USO: watch as a direct read on WTI positioning around headline risk.
- DAL: watch airlines for pressure if jet fuel spikes and travel demand softens on geopolitical risk.
For more headlines and flow context, see additional coverage in other news.
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