During the funeral processions for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in central Tehran last week, mourners carried giant scarlet banners reading "Kill Trump," "Hey Trump, we will kill you," and "There will be blood." They threw pebbles at an image of President Trump in a symbolic "stoning the devil" ceremony. Similar banners appeared on buildings in Mashhad.
Then they went home and started planning.
Israel shared fresh intelligence with the United States this week warning of a new Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, according to multiple reports from CNN and the New York Post. The warning concerned a specific plan — not the general chatter U.S. intelligence agencies have been tracking for weeks, but something new. Something Israel considered urgent enough to pass along through intelligence channels while American and Iranian bombs are still falling.
The U.S. had not been tracking this particular plot before the Israeli warning, and two sources familiar with the matter told reporters the intelligence had not yet been vetted by American agencies. The details remain unclear. But the timing is impossible to ignore: the 60-day ceasefire memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is in tatters, strikes have resumed on both sides, and Trump himself declared the agreement "over."
Washington has long believed Tehran wants revenge for the January 2020 drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That was six years ago. They've been promising retaliation ever since — through two administrations, one assassination attempt that was already foiled, and now through a war that killed their Supreme Leader.
Some American officials, it should be noted, suggested the Israeli report could be part of a broader effort to influence Trump's decision-making as he weighs whether to intensify military action against Iran. That's the skeptic's read, and it deserves space. Intelligence from allies always carries strategic context. Israel has its own reasons for wanting Washington to hit harder.
But here's what that skepticism doesn't account for: the chants are real. The banners are real. "Death to America, death to Israel" echoed through the streets of Tehran for three straight days of funeral proceedings. The Iranian regime — whatever's left of it — isn't hiding its intentions. They're printing them on fabric and hanging them from buildings.
The diplomatic track isn't dead, either. Behind the scenes, Washington and Tehran are reportedly still working toward a nuclear deal by mid-August, even as the bombs fall. Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called implementing the ceasefire "difficult, but achievable" — which is diplomat-speak for "we'll keep talking while our people chant about murdering your president."
What is clear is that Iran is hell bent on getting revenge on President Trump and America. It's not great that the previous administration let in 10-20 million unvetted illegals, including many from Iran and other hostile nations. The possibility of a lone wolf attack is not zero. The possibility of another assassination plot against President Trump is not zero either.
The banners in Mashhad said "There will be blood." Thankfully, so far, the only blood has been theirs.
