Iran issues chilling assassination threat to Trump as tensions spiral: ‘This time, the bullet will not miss the target’: Live updates

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and ELINA SHIRAZI, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER and PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 15:02 EST, 14 January 2026

Iran issued a chilling assassination threat to Donald Trump today amid escalating tensions between the two nations.

State television appeared to broadcast footage from the 2024 attempt on the US President’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, alongside text that translated to ‘This time, the bullet won’t miss.’

It comes at a critical moment in US-Iranian relations, as Trump looks at a range of options for military action in Iran in response to the regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

More than 3,400 people have been killed by Iranian security forces, says a human rights group, as the US evacuates hundreds of troops from its largest base in the Middle East amid fears the regime will retaliate against a possible strike. 

Donald Trump has vowed to take ‘strong action’ against Iran if the regime hangs protesters, while Iran has said it will fight off enemy attacks ‘until the last drop of blood’.

Iran’s defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, said amid an escalating war of words that his nation was prepared to defend itself fully if it is attacked.

Erfan Soltani, 26, is feared likely to become the first person executed over the demonstrations, with reports saying he would be hanged on Wednesday morning local time.

Follow the latest updates on the Iranian protests below

Breaking:Iranian state TV plays images of Trump assassination attempt, threatens US president

Iranian state TV has reportedly aired images of Donald Trump when a bullet grazed his ear during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.

Text over the image said, ‘This time, the bullet won’t miss.’

The US leader has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands of people have ⁠been reported killed in a crackdown on the protests against clerical rule.

In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Trump vowed ‘very strong action’ if Iran executes protesters. He also urged Iranians to keep protesting and take over institutions, declaring ‘help is on the way.’

Lufthansa limits operations in Israel and Jordan amid escalating tensions

By katrina schollenberger

German airline Lufthansa announced that it would only be operating day flights to and from Tel Aviv and Amman as Trump considers his response to deadly region wide protests in Iran.

‘Additionally Iranian and Iraqi airspace will be bypassed by all Lufthansa Group Airlines until further notice,’ the airline said.

From Thursday until Monday, crews will be forced to fly back directly without an overnight stay on site.

Iranian Foreign Minister claims Israeli forces are behind protest deaths

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox New anchor Bret Baier that Israel is to blame for the protest death toll.

Araghchi said ‘terrorist elements lead from outside’ entered the protests and started killing police forces.

‘There were terror cells. They came in. They used terrorist operations,’ he said.

‘As a result, for three days we had in fact fighting against terrorists and not with protesters.’

The foreign minister insisted Israel was behind the operation because they wanted to provoke Donald Trump to attack Iran.

‘The reason, I have to explain, and this is important, why they started to shoot at people. For one reason. They wanted to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because President Trump has said that if there are killings, he would enter it and they wanted to drag him into this conflict. That was exactly the Israeli plot,’ Araghchi said.

Denmark and allied countries say they will increase their military presence in Greenland

By katrina schollenberger

Denmark and allied countries said in a statement on Wednesday that they will increase their military presence in the country as part of expanded exercises.

‘Security in the Arctic is of crucial importance to the Kingdom and our Arctic allies, and it is therefore important that we, in close cooperation with allies, further strengthen our ability to operate in the region,’ said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

‘The Danish Defense Forces, together with several Arctic and European allies, will explore in the coming weeks how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented.’

Denmark’s defense ministry confirmed that troops, aircrafts and navy would be deployed in and around the country ‘immediately’.

A European diplomat said that troops from the Netherlands, Canada and Germany were also taking part.

Trump feels obligated to take action on Iran, sources say

Donald Trump feels obligated to take action against Iran after a tw-hour briefing on the matter, sources told CNN.

Officials familiar with the meeting said the president felt bound to follow through with his threats.

‘Part of it is that he has now set a red line, and he feels he needs to do something,’ the source said.

Airspace activity dwindling around Iran

A map of airspace around Iran posted by air traffic tracker Flightradar24 showed activity is dwindling.

US military aircraft reportedly preparing to evacuate Qatar base

US military aircraft stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar have been or are preparing to be evacuated, according to social media reports.

Similar action took place in June before the base was targeted by Iran as retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard says Iran ready to respond to attack

The commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iran is ready to respond ‘decisively’ to an attack, and blamed the US and Israel for protests in the country, Al Jazeera reported.

IRGC is at ‘the height of readiness to respond decisively to the miscalculation of the enemy,’ Commander Mohammad Pakpour said in a statement shared with Iranian state television.

US establishes new air defense operations in Qatar

The American military announced the US Central Command and regional partners opened a new coordination cell at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar this week to enhance integrated air and missile defense.

The new Middle Eastern Air Defense – Combined Defense Operations Cell is located in the Combined Air Operations Center on base and is staffed by the US and its partners.

‘This is a significant step forward in strengthening regional defense cooperation,’ Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, Centcom commander, said in a press release.

‘This cell will improve how regional forces coordinate and share air and missile defense responsibilities across the Middle East.’

Pro-Iran protesters threaten Trump

Members of the Basij volunteer Islamic militia, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, held up posters threatening Donald Trump outside the British Embassy in Tehran.

Iran enters seventh day of telecoms blackout, according to watchdog

Cybersecurity tracking group NetBlocks said that Iran has entered its seventh day of a near-total telecommunications blackout.

‘The disruption ranks among the longest on record and continues to isolate over ninety million Iranians from the outside world,’ NetBlocks wrote on X.

Iran preparing to target US military bases in Middle East, sources say

Recent US intelligence reports indicate that Iran is preparing options to target American bases in the Middle East, including those in Iraq and Syria, in response to military strikes, sources told CNN.

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Iran issues chilling assassination threat to Trump as tensions spiral: ‘This time, the bullet will not miss the target’: Live updates