'This time bullet will not miss': Iranian state TV airs apparent threat to Donald Trump

A single image, lifted from a moment of bloodshed on the US campaign trail, has pushed tensions between Washington and Tehran into darker territory. Iranian state television aired footage of Donald Trump from the July 2024 rally where he was grazed by a bullet, pairing it with a stark warning that echoed across an already fraught standoff between the two countries.

The broadcast showed Trump at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally alongside the message: "This time it (the bullet) will not miss the target," according to reports by AFP and the New York Post.

The airing marked one of Tehran’s most explicit signals yet toward the US President, coming as Trump weighs possible military strikes against Iran. Iranian officials have accused Washington of using internal unrest in the country as a pretext for intervention.

The message was widely read as a reference to the Butler rally shooting, in which Trump was wounded during a pre-election speech. Iranian television paired the warning with a still image from that event. There has been no official confirmation or response from Iranian authorities so far.

The episode followed reports that the United States has begun repositioning forces in the region, including troop movements from its largest Middle East base, amid concerns Iran could retaliate if attacked. The developments come after a senior Iranian official cited the country’s retaliatory strike in June 2025 on the Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha, Qatar.

Speaking to CBS News on Tuesday, Trump warned of a strong response if Iran escalated its actions against protesters.
"We will take very strong action if they do such a thing," Trump said, referring to reports of executions. "When they start killing thousands of people — and now you’re telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that’s going to work out for them."

Iranian authorities dismissed the remarks as an excuse for military intervention as protests continue across the country. Witnesses returning from Iran described heavy security deployments and clashes between demonstrators and police in parts of Tehran.

The unrest has added pressure on Iran’s leadership, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, already strained by regional conflicts. Protests erupted in December after the Iranian rial slid to record lows, deepening the crisis in a sanctions-hit economy linked largely to Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said more than 2,600 people killed were protesters, with over 18,400 detained.

On Wednesday, the Iranian government held a mass funeral for 100 security personnel killed during the unrest. Tens of thousands attended, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

(With agency inputs)