Donald Trump dismissed a bizarre and unsettling comment from a top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, who jokingly imagined the former president being struck by a drone while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago.
During an Iranian TV broadcast on July 9, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a senior aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, laughed as he described a hypothetical attack:
“Trump can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago,” Larijani said with a smirk. “Because while he’s lying down, a micro-drone might target and strike him right in the navel.”
Though Larijani quickly added, “Of course, we fight like men,” seeming to soften the threat, his words sparked attention in the U.S. and even made their way into a Fox News interview with Trump.
When asked by Fox host Peter Doocy about the last time he went sunbathing, Trump deadpanned, “It’s been a long time. I don’t know, maybe I was around seven or so. I’m not too big into it.”
Trump casually shrugged off Larijani’s eerie comment, saying, “I guess it’s a threat. I’m sure it’s not a threat, actually, but perhaps it is.”
These remarks come on the heels of Trump confirming he would “absolutely” consider launching another strike on Iran, following a June U.S. operation that targeted three critical nuclear sites.
When asked if he would bomb Iran again should intelligence reveal troubling uranium enrichment, Trump responded bluntly, “Sure, without question. Absolutely, it has to be unbelievable.”
He further described both Iran and Israel as “exhausted,” adding, “The last thing they’re thinking about right now is nuclear. You know what they’re thinking of? They’re thinking about tomorrow, trying to live.”
In reaction to Larijani’s provocative statements, the U.S. Secret Service declined to comment on specific protective intelligence but told Newsweek, “We operate in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment, and the safety and security of the President and all of our protectees remains our highest priority.”