Former President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. military is prepared to launch a large-scale attack on Iran in the event that Tehran carries out threats to assassinate him. Trump claimed that hundreds, potentially thousands, of missiles were "locked and loaded" and ready to be deployed against Iran if such an attempt were made.

However, experts and officials note that there is no automatic or pre-authorized mechanism in the U.S. government to initiate retaliatory military action immediately upon the president’s death. According to U.S. constitutional provisions, if a sitting president were killed, the 25th Amendment and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 would transfer presidential authority to the vice president, currently JD Vance. The new commander in chief would then have the discretion to determine any military response.

Garrett M. Graff, author of a book on government continuity plans, explained that the United States has never implemented a technical "dead man’s switch" that would trigger immediate retaliation after a president’s death. Although there are extensive contingency plans for government continuity in cases of nuclear or other major attacks, these do not include automatic launch orders tied to the demise of the president, even if the president expressed a desire for such action before dying.

Trump made his remarks in a post on his social media platform, where he accused Iran of threatening to assassinate or attempt to assassinate him. He stated that the U.S. military was ready for a strong retaliatory strike, warning that thousands of missiles were aimed at Iran and could be launched immediately should the Iranian government act on its threats.

Officials emphasize that any decision to engage militarily would rest with the incumbent president or, if necessary, their successor, subject to government protocols and assessments rather than pre-set directives. The situation underscores ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran, with both sides maintaining a history of hostile rhetoric and threats.