President Donald Trump issued one of his starkest warnings yet to Tehran on Tuesday, declaring that the US would completely destroy Iran should the country attempt to kill him.
"I have very firm instructions, anything happens, they're going to wipe them off the face of this earth," he said in a fiery interview on Tuesday night.
The President vowed America would retaliate against the entire country if it acted on its threats.
"Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up," Mr Trump told NewsNation.
"I would absolutely hit them so hard... But I have very firm instructions."
Mr Trump had earlier said he instructed his advisers to take “total action” against Iran if it was found to be behind any plot to assassinate him.
Tehran responded with its own forceful warning through General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran's armed forces.
"Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world," General Shekarchi spat.
Mr Trump has warned Iran that he would 'wipe them off the face of this earth' if they attempt to kill him
|GETTY
The verbal confrontation followed Mr Trump's attack on the Ayatollah in a Politico interview just days earlier.
The President branded the Supreme Leader "a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people" - and called for regime change in Iran.
Deadly protests are still ongoing in the Islamic Republic, which had initially erupted on December 28 over the country's economic woes before spilling over into pro-democracy demonstrations.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 4,519 people have been killed on the streets.
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The President branded the Supreme Leader 'a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people'
| REUTERSIranian authorities have themselves acknowledged mass casualties, with Mr Khamenei admitting over the weekend that "several thousand" had died - and placing the blame on the US.
The human rights organisation also reported that more than 26,300 individuals have been detained, sparking international concern that many could be put to death by the regime.
Iran ranks among the world's most prolific executioners, with hangings a regular occurrence inside the Middle Eastern country's prisons, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Society.
The group told the BBC in December that it had verified at least 1,500 executions in the Islamic Republic last year.
Demonstrations against the Islamic Republic erupted on December 28 over the country's economic woes
| GETTYAmerican naval assets have begun repositioning towards the region amid the bubbling tensions.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, previously conducting operations in the South China Sea, has been spotted moving towards the Indian Ocean alongside three destroyers.
US Navy officials have refused to confirm whether the strike group is bound for the Middle East.
However, the carrier's current position and trajectory suggest it could reach the region within a matter of days.
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