Iranian Newspaper Threatens Netanyahu and Trump Amid Rising US-Iran Tensions

The Iranian newspaper Al-Moshahari, owned by the Tehran municipality, published a front-page threat targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Both leaders were depicted in prisoner uniforms with crosshairs on their foreheads. The image also included prominent Israeli officials such as Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. On the American side, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee were shown. European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were also featured. The headline warned that "the criminals will carry their death wish to the grave."

Earlier on the same day, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement following his father's funeral, vowing revenge against those responsible for his death and the casualties of recent wars. He declared that the nation demands retribution soon and that perpetrators will be held accountable. Khamenei added that free people worldwide will soon join the mission of vengeance.

Simultaneously, Iranian officials denied reports of diplomatic talks with the United States. The Fars news agency quoted an informed source who dismissed claims of negotiations, accusing media outlets close to Israel of spreading false information. The source emphasized that no dialogue will occur unless the US retracts its current positions.

US President Donald Trump responded sharply on his social media platform Truth Social, warning Iran against assassination attempts on his life. Trump revealed that 1,000 missiles are ready to be launched at Iran, with thousands more to follow if Iran acts on its threats. He stated that the US military is prepared and determined to destroy all parts of Iran for at least a year.

According to two Israeli officials speaking to CNN, amid escalating US-Iran tensions threatening to collapse a ceasefire agreement, the Trump administration does not want Israel involved in the conflict to avoid losing control over the confrontation. While Netanyahu reportedly wishes to join US strikes, the US prefers to exclude Israel at this stage. The officials described previous US-Iran talks as constructive but warned that without US acceptance of Iran’s nuclear demands, no agreement will be reached.