Latest news with #JavadLarijani
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
NATO Ally Warns of Iranian Assassination Threat
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A sweeping new report from the UK Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) warns that Iran has dramatically increased its efforts to intimidate, kidnap, or kill individuals on British soil. The committee found that at least 15 such plots have been uncovered since the start of 2022, targeting dissidents, Israeli interests, and others opposed to the Iranian regime. The ISC said the British government focused too narrowly on Iran's nuclear program while neglecting other aggressive state behaviors, including cyberattacks, espionage, and assassination attempts—patterns that closely mirror similar threats seen in the United States. Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. Why It Matters The report's findings reinforce growing transatlantic concerns that Iran is expanding an alleged campaign of repression far beyond its borders. The UK, a NATO ally and key partner of Washington, now believes it is on the front line of a global campaign. It also points to further alignment on Iran between Washington and London. Flags wave in the wind on the grounds of the NATO summit. The 32 heads of state and government of the NATO countries are meeting here for a two-day summit. The topics of the summit... Flags wave in the wind on the grounds of the NATO summit. The 32 heads of state and government of the NATO countries are meeting here for a two-day summit. The topics of the summit are the increase in defense spending, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East following the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, 25 June 2025, Netherlands, Den Haag. More Kay Nietfeld/Ap Photo What to Know According to the ISC, Iran's campaign against regime opponents in Britain has "significantly increased in pace and in number" since early 2022. These plots primarily target Iranian dissidents but also extend to Israeli-linked individuals. The UK's Homeland Security Group said the level of physical threat from Iran is now the highest the country faces from Tehran—on par with threats posed by Russia. The report describes Iran's intelligence services as "ferociously well-resourced" and capable of operating across a wide range of threats. Tehran, the committee warns, has a "high appetite for risk" and is willing to engage in assassination and intimidation tactics against targets in the UK. Assassination Joke On Wednesday, an Iranian official Javad Larijani joked on state television that a "micro-drone" could strike President Donald Trump while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago—a comment Trump casually dismissed, saying he's "not too big into sunbathing" and questioning the seriousness of the threat. U.S. intelligence agencies have long warned of Iran's efforts to target Trump, linking these threats to Tehran's retaliation for the 2020 drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP Photo Iran Denies Claims However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a Monday interview with Tucker Carlson, firmly denied any Iranian government involvement in plots against President Trump, branding those claims as "Israeli propaganda" designed to drag the U.S. into conflict. Instead, he accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him during recent airstrikes but reiterated Tehran's openness to dialogue with Washington—provided mutual trust can be rebuilt What People Are Saying ISC report: "Whilst Iran's activity appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China, Iran poses a wide-ranging threat to UK national security, which should not be underestimated: it is persistent and – crucially – unpredictable." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the subject of alleged assassination plots: "None whatsoever. We have never attempted this to begin with and we never will." What Happens Next The British government is required to respond within 60 days. The report, already reviewed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and UK intelligence agencies, may also prompt closer cooperation with the U.S. and NATO on countering Iran's expanding footprint across the West.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Iran threatens to assassinate Trump while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago amid high alert for sleeper cell terrorists in US
A TOP Iranian official and senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened to assassinate Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Former diplomat Javad Larijani told Iranian state TV that Don could face a drone attack while sunbathing at his lavish Florida mansion. 10 10 10 Larijani, who has strong ties to the Iranian regime, said: "Trump has done something so that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago. "As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple." Trump laughed off the threat and said: "I guess it's a threat. I'm not sure it's a threat, actually, but perhaps it is." Larijani's comments came after an online platform called "blood pact" began raising funds to "punish those who threaten Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei." A statement on the site said: "We pledge to award the bounty to anyone who can bring the enemies of God and those who threaten the life of Ali Khamenei to justice." It is not clear who operates the site. However, just days ago, a top Iranian cleric issued a fatwa calling for the death of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the Islamic religious decree, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi branded both leaders as "enemies of God". The Shiite cleric issued the fatwa after the 12-Day war between Israel and Iran, which was also briefly joined by the US following American military strikes against Tehran. It effectively states that Trump and Netanyahu "waged war against [Allah] and must be made to regret their words and actions. Inside Op Red Wedding – Israel's fierce wave of assassinations killing 30 Iran generals in first MINUTES of 12-day war "Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered [mohareb]," it added. Under the Iranian under Iranian penal code, mohareb - someone who wages war against god - must be punished by "execution or crucifixion' or face 'amputation of the right hand and left foot or exile". The fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders - and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah. It reads: "It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes. "[A] Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty and suffers hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing." Last year, an Iranian agent was charged with plotting to kill Donald Trump in an assassination that would have shaken the world. US prosecutors say the rogue state told ex-con Farhad Shakeri — said to be hiding in Tehran — to devise a seven-day plan to spy on and murder him. Prosecutors said an official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard told Shakeri to devise a plan to eliminate the then-president-elect. They claim the planned hit was an attempt to take vengeance for a US drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, then said to be the world's No1 terrorist, in 2020. Trump's former security advisor, John Bolton, said the US President is "at the top" of an 'assassination list' from the Middle East nation. He said in an interview: "Iran's terror network is really quite extensive in Europe and in the United States." Critics of the Mullahs' regime have condemned the fatwa, calling it a state-endorsed incitement to global terrorism. Trump said he . During the 12-Day War, the Israelis, on multiple occasions, suggested that targeting Ayatollah Khamenei was "not off the table". 10 10 10 But Trump, who said he knew exactly where the supreme leader had been hiding, did not let the US forces or the IDF" assassinate Khamenei. In a Truth Social post, Trump raged: "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH. "And he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!' "I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life." Trump also blasted the Ayatollah's claims that Iran won the war. He said: "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so. "As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie." Iran's top mullah Khamenei, 86, claimed victory over Israel and America despite his country being hammered for almost two weeks. He ludicrously claimed Iran had almost crushed Israel, and the government in Tel Aviv was on the verge of collapse. That's despite the IDF controlling the skies over Tehran, assassinating dozens of top generals and nuclear scientists, and destroying dozens of valuable missile batteries in just 12 days of fighting. Khamenei also said that Iran had given the US a "severe slap" to its face and that it had "gained nothing" from the attack on Iran's nuke plants. The Ayatollah said: 'The American regime entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. "However, it gained no achievements from this war. 'Here, too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious, and in return, the Islamic Republic delivered a severe slap to America's face. Iran's 'medieval' fatwa could spark homegrown terror attacks EXCLUSIVE by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter, Digital IRAN'S "medieval" regime demanding Donald Trump be crucified could provoke "homegrown terrorist attacks", top politicians warn. Warped Ayatollahs issued a call to arms to Muslims urging them to make the US president "regret his actions" - branding him an "enemy of God". Fatwas - religious edicts - have been levelled against Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu by senior mullahs under the Islamic penal code "mohareb" - waging war against God. Sharia law states those charged must not only be killed but also tortured prior to death, including through crucifixion and limb amputation. Senior cleric Najmuddin Tabasi vowed Trump "must be executed" and said "the same hand that fired a shot past his ear can put a bullet through his throat" - referring to an assassination attempt last July. A sickening fundraiser has even been set up by hardline Iranian cleric Abdolmajid Kharahaani to hire an assassin to murder Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush, CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Senior Advisor Rt. Hon. Tom Tugendhat MP insisted the mullahs must be urgently sanctioned. They also warned how high-ranking regime enforcers are in contact with individuals in both the US and Europe. In a statement shared exclusively with The Sun, Bush, Wallace and Tugendhat said: "The Iranian regime's medieval and barbaric threats against the US president and others cannot be ignored – and must not go unanswered. "The US government and its allies should immediately sanction Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Makarem-Shirazi, Hamedani, Tabasi, and Panahian, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 'None of these men have been sanctioned to date under counterterrorism authorities. "Additionally, the US Justice Department should seek indictments against these men and American law enforcement should partner with its allies to request INTERPOL Red Notices for issuing threats to internationally protected individuals." Read the full story here. MURDEROUS TERROR PLOT Iran may activate a network of sleeper cells across the West in the face of the Israeli bombing campaign, experts have warned. A weakened Tehran is expected to resort to asymmetric terror warfare in a bid to destabilise its adversaries. Barak Seener, a security and defence expert at Henry Jackson Society and Iran expert, said: "The very fact now that the Iranian regime is volatile, it's targeted, and it's highly vulnerable — that's what actually makes it increasingly dangerous to the West." Iran's murderous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is thought to run an extensive network of sleeper cells across the world. Mr Seener told The Sun that these sleeper cells could be regular people living regular lives. But when given the signal, they could carry out terrorist activities targeting the West. These terror operations could target public infrastructure and even civilians, with no weapons off the table, experts warn. Iran's terror on UK streets By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter Iran-fuelled hit squads on the streets of the UK have been linked to at least 15 threats to kill or kidnap detected by authorities. They are all part of a campaign of intimidation aimed at those who speak out against the hardline regime. The MI5 has accused Tehran of more than a dozen assassination and kidnap plots in Britain against dissidents and media organisations in the past two years. Officials have previously warned that the threat against Iranian critics living in the UK has ramped up drastically after the horror October 7 attacks. And given the hostile situation in the Middle East, Iran could ramp up its secret terror activities in the UK, Europe and the US, experts fear. In 2022, Major Gen Hossein Salami, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC warned: "You've tried us before. Watch out because we're coming for you." Last year, Iranian TV journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed outside his home in London, sparking an investigation led by counter-terrorism police. The suspects were believed to be proxy agents hired by Tehran. Mr Zeraati works for Iran International, a London-based Persian-speaking channel which has reported on Iran's human rights violations. He said a man approached him and asked for £3 before another man appeared and stabbed him in the leg. The two fled in a car being driven by a third man, leaving Mr Zeraati bleeding in the street. Investigators believed the three culprits were able to flee the country on a flight from Heathrow within hours of the attack. Mr Zeraati, whose organisation has been a vocal critic of Iran, said the attack was a "warning shot" from Tehran. He called on the UK government to declare the IRGC a terrorist group to stop it from spreading its doctrine. He said: "It will also send a clear message to the regime in Iran that enough is enough. "The whole of Western civilisation is in danger because of the threat the IRGC poses." A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found almost half of journalists who covered Iran from the UK reported being physically or verbally harassed in the past five years. Individuals have been sent death threats by text and voice notes, with one message noting that the 'water underneath Westminster Bridge was very deep'. One said they were constantly worried about Iran targeting their children, saying: 'I wake up in the middle of the night. I check my son to see if he's there. I won't let him play in the garden on his own. I have to be there. I'm on alert constantly.' Another reporter told the RSF she had a package, which was designed to look like it contained anthrax, hand-delivered to her apartment block. While female TV journalist was approached on a London bus by a man who told her: 'We will kill you. You are a very bad person.' All of them are understood to have voiced their dissent against Tehran. Mr Seener told The Sun: "They live amongst us in regular communities, have regular jobs, and they just are awaiting being activated to conduct malign activities, whether it be through a telephone text or a beeper, and then they already know what they are going to be doing. "If the regime feels threatened and on the verge of being toppled, then they may say, 'you're going to go down with us,' and at that point they may unleash their sleeper cells." Mr Seener said the attacks could range from an attack against a synagogue, an embassy, or blowing up a dirty bomb in Central London. Sir Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, warned back in October that Iran could turn on UK targets if it felt Britain was too enthusiastic in its support for Israel. He said the attacks could increase if the Middle East conflict intensifies. In August, Matt Jukes, the head of Counter Terror Policing, warned that Britain is facing an increase in plots by hostile states. He said Iranian dissidents and diaspora communities have been 'clearly at risk of kidnapping or assassination'. "These are people who are doing it daily. And when you are projecting soft power, you're creating the cultural milieu in which terrorism can be conducted much more readily. Counterterror police have investigated 15 of these cases alongside MI5. MI5 has responded to 20 plots backed by Iran since 2022, it was reported. 10 10
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump says he's ‘not too big into' sunbathing as he shrugs off Iranian threat of poolside assassination
WASHINGTON — President Trump brushed off an Iranian official's threat to assassinate him using a drone as he tans at Mar-a-Lago — saying he hasn't sunbathed in years. 'It's been a long time. I don't know, maybe I was around seven or so. I'm not too big into it,' the president told reporters at the White House Wednesday. 'I guess it's a threat. I'm not sure it's a threat, actually, but perhaps it is.' Advertisement Javad Larijani, a senior adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei, told Iranian state TV that Trump, 79, could face retribution for bombing three key nuclear sites last month in support of an Israeli mission to prevent the Islamic republic from developing nuclear weapons. President Trump said he's unlikely to be caught sunbathing after an Iranian official threatened a drone attack. REUTERS 'Trump has done something so that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago,' Larijani said. Advertisement 'As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple.' Trump, who frequently soaks up the sun while golfing on weekends, is reputed to favor spray-tanning. Tehran agreed to a Trump-brokered cease-fire with Israel nearly 48 hours after the US strikes and has not meaningfully retaliated, other than by firing a symbolic volley of missiles at a US airbase in Qatar, for which it provided advance notice allowing for evacuation and interception. Iran allegedly tried to assassinate Trump previously as payback for the US leader's 2020 assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani with an airstrike in Iraq. Advertisement Iran's political leaders have not meaningfully retaliated for US airstrikes last month. REUTERS The Justice Department in November charged Farhad Shakeri, who remains at large, for allegedly working with Iran to monitor and murder Trump. Two alleged conspirators, Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn and Jonathan Loadholt of Staten Island, were arrested. An Iranian-made video from 2022 depicted Trump being assassinated on a golf course, with the film reportedly winning Khamanei's animation contest for work 'on the topic of revenge on Trump [and other] murderers of Gen. #Soleimani.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Iran 'could blast Trump with a drone 'in the navel while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago', official warns'
A senior Iranian official has reportedly warned that US president Donald Trump could be hit with a drone strike while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago. Javad Larijani, a top advisor to Iran 's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, made the threat weeks after the so-called 12-Day War between Iran and Israel that America later joined. After Israeli forced bombed civilian, military and nuclear sites in Iran, which responded to with its own attacks on Israel, Trump ordered American forces to join Israel's offensive. As a result of America's involvement, Larijani said, according to Iran International: 'Trump has done something that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago. As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple.' The threat comes just weeks after a top Iranian cleric issued a fatwa against Trump, declaring him an 'enemy of god.' Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said that both Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu were guilty of 'mobareb', the term in Islamic law for waging war against God. Shirazi added in the fatwa: 'Any cooperation or support for that enemy by Muslims or Islamic states is haram or forbidden. 'It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes.' He also said that if a 'Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty suffer hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing.' As Iran continues to recover from the aerial war with Israel and the US, Netanyahu said on Wednesday his meeting with Trump focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, as Israel continued to pound the Palestinian territory amid efforts to reach a ceasefire. Netanyahu said on X that the leaders also discussed the consequences and possibilities of 'the great victory we achieved over Iran,' following an aerial war last month in which the United States joined Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. Netanyahu is making his third US visit since Trump took office on January 20 and had earlier told reporters that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are 'certainly working' on a ceasefire. Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with the president's Middle East envoy indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire deal after 21 months of war. A delegation from Qatar, the host of indirect talks between Israeli negotiators and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, met senior White House officials before Netanyahu's arrival on Tuesday, Axios said, citing a source familiar with the details. The White House had no immediate comment on the report. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, said the number of issues preventing Israel and Hamas from reaching an agreement had decreased from four to one, expressing optimism for a temporary ceasefire deal by the end of the week. Witkoff told reporters at a Cabinet meeting that the anticipated agreement would involve a 60-day ceasefire, with the release of 10 living and nine deceased hostages. Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance before visiting the US Capitol on Tuesday, and was due back in Congress on Wednesday to meet US Senate leaders. 'We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities,' Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday. In recent weeks Israel's military has continued to hammer Gaza, where a teddy bear lay in the rubble on Wednesday at the site of one overnight airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis. Umm Mohammed Shaaban, a Palestinian grandmother mourning the deaths of three of her grandchildren in the attack, questioned the timing of a proposed ceasefire. 'After they finished us, they say they'll make a truce?' she said. In Gaza City, people removed debris after another overnight airstrike, searching through a three-story house for survivors to no avail. One resident, Ahmed al-Nahhal, said there was no fuel for trucks to help in rescue efforts. 'From midnight till now, we have been looking for the children,' he said. Nearby men carried bodies in shrouds while women wept. Some kissed bodies placed in the back of a vehicle. The Gaza conflict began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory war has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free the remaining hostages. Israel has insisted it would not agree to stop fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled. The United Nations estimates that most of Gaza's population of more than 2 million has been displaced, with experts saying in May that nearly half a million people faced the risk of starvation. Netanyahu has meanwhile expressed hope that Israel could expand the Abraham Accords, normalisation deals reached between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020 under US mediation.
Shafaq News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
No winners in war: Iran defies US red lines on nuclear enrichment
Shafaq News/ Prominent Iranian conservative politician and former judiciary official Javad Larijani dismissed the likelihood of a war between Iran and the United States, warning that any such conflict would be prolonged and without a clear victor. Speaking to Iranian media, Larijani said, 'A military confrontation remains a remote possibility, as Washington knows it would not emerge as the winner in such a war.' His remarks come amid renewed tensions over Iran's nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Tehran's position on uranium enrichment, stating that the country will continue its nuclear activities despite mounting US pressure. 'No matter how often they repeat their statements, our stance will not change,' Araghchi said. 'We are continuing enrichment. It is our clear and legitimate right.' The statement was issued in response to comments made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who declared that halting uranium enrichment in Iran is a "red line" for the United States and not subject to negotiation in ongoing nuclear talks. 'US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conveyed this position directly to both Iranian officials and the American public,' Leavitt said.
