A US counterterrorism expert has urged authorities to take seriously an Iranian threat against Barron Trump, son of former President Donald Trump, warning that Tehran could attempt to execute the plan despite previous failures. Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, highlighted the regime’s determination to retaliate against the United States amid a protracted conflict that has intensified over six months.
The warning follows the release of a video by Iranian state television last week entitled "Where and How Should We Kill Barron Trump?" which offered a $10 million bounty for the assassination of Barron Trump, who is in his early twenties. The video purportedly tracks his residence on the 58th floor of Trump Tower, his university, security details, and daily routines, including online activity and personal contacts. It claims Iran has gathered this intelligence through an operative who penetrated security and met with Barron on the 58th floor recently.
While no independent verification has been provided for the claims made in the video, its broadcast on state television elevates concerns regarding the threat. This incident follows a similar threat against Melania Trump last month and fits within a five-decade pattern of Iran’s involvement in overseas assassinations, kidnappings, and covert operations.
The threat also coincides with reports of an attack on Fouad Pashaie, an adviser to opposition leader Reza Pahlavi and secretary-general of the Constitutionalist Party of Iran—Liberal Democrat. Pashaie was assaulted at his home in Los Angeles by assailants who destroyed his security cameras and struck him with a metal bar, leaving him in critical condition. Iranian operations abroad have also targeted Persian-language journalists and media workers. Iran’s armed forces have labeled several foreign Persian-language news outlets, including BBC Persian, Iran International, and Radio Farda, as military targets, accusing them of collaboration with US and Israeli intelligence agencies.
Observers note that Iran’s intelligence services have a history of sophisticated overseas operations. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights documents more than 500 terrorist acts, kidnappings, and assassinations attributed to Iran since its 1979 revolution, including high-profile killings of dissidents in Europe and the Middle East.
Jalal Heydari, an Iranian political analyst based in Canada, emphasized that the threats against Barron Trump should not be dismissed outright, given Iran’s extensive network and operational experience. However, he noted that the public nature of the threats may reflect weaknesses within the Iranian intelligence apparatus. Heydari suggested the videos serve a dual purpose: to intimidate foreign targets and to reassure a domestic audience shaken by recent setbacks, including the killing of senior Iranian figures by US and Israeli forces.
“The message to Iranians may be less about actual intelligence capability and more about projecting strength,” Heydari said. “After Iranian elites were assassinated, regime supporters need to believe that Tehran retains an intelligence presence deep inside the United States.”