The US Secret Service says it is aware of a video aired by Iran’s state broadcaster that appears to threaten Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump.
Hard-line Iranian media have repeatedly published content threatening President Trump and his family since the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many members of his family at the outset of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February.
Although First Lady Melania Trump has previously been the target of threats, this appears to be the first time Barron Trump has been publicly singled out.
“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring told CNN in a statement. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”
The nearly three-minute video begins with an English-language graphic reading: “Where to kill Barron Trump?!” It features stylized graphics showing locations where Barron Trump is publicly known to spend time, including Trump Tower in New York.
Near the end of the video, the narrator says people were “eagerly waiting to receive our $10 million reward.”
Iran broadcaster airs video targeting Trump family
The video was broadcast over the weekend by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Iran’s state-run broadcaster, which is considered aligned with hard-liners in the Iranian regime. Its head is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader.
A federal law enforcement source told CNN that the video is part of a broader campaign of videos from Iran targeting President Trump and his family. Some of the videos have included movement details and suggestions for killing members of the president’s family.
The source said protective operations are constantly moved and adjusted based on security information from the Secret Service, other agencies, police and foreign governments.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
President Trump has publicly discussed Iranian threats against his life, saying in July: “I’m on whatever list… so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people.”
He made the comments at the NATO summit in Turkey, before secretly leaving the country on an alternate military aircraft. He boarded the plane while hidden inside a catering truck as part of an elaborate ruse prompted by an Iranian threat.
A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the threat involved a shoulder-fired missile and was specific enough for officials to fear that Trump’s life would be at enormous risk if he traveled on either version of Air Force One.
The US government has long warned that Iran may try to assassinate President Trump, dating back to the 2020 drone strike he ordered that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
During days of funeral events for Khamenei in July, regime loyalists were seen holding posters that read “Kill Trump” and offering a bounty to anyone who avenged their leader’s death.
Anti-American displays, including chants of “Death to America” and flag burnings, have been a constant feature of state-organized rallies in Iran since the Islamic Revolution brought the country’s theocratic regime to power in 1979.
