Trump urges US to blow Iran to 'smithereens' if they try to assassinate him

Trump stated: "If I were the President, I would inform the threatening country - in this case Iran - that if you do anything to harm this person, we're going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens."

In a rare bipartisan rallying cry, the Republican hopeful emphasised that such a retaliation would occur regardless of the targeted candidate's political affiliation.

Trump and his advisers have been briefed by US intelligence officials about the threat, which has reportedly "heightened in the past few months".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the US Government is "intensely tracking" the ongoing threat from Iran against current and former US officials.

The threat against Trump has raised concerns among law enforcement officials about further potential assassination attempts on Trump-era officials and the former President himself.

Following the attempt, he thanked Democrats in Congress for approving a bill ensuring he and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the same level of Secret Service protection as the sitting president.

But Trump criticised the Biden administration's leadership, suggesting they lack the resolve to respond forcefully to such threats.

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He said: "But right now we don't have that leadership or the necessary people, the necessary leaders."

He also criticised Biden and Harris as being too weak to retaliate effectively.

In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump warned: "Big threats on my life by Iran. The entire US Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn't work out, but they will try again."

The US has also accused Iran of hacking Trump's campaign in an alleged attempt to influence the presidential election.

But it's events on the ground which have heightened concerns about Trump's safety.

In July, a gunman opened fire at a rally in Pennsylvania, killing one person and wounding the presidential candidate.

Days later, US media reported intelligence on an alleged Iranian plot against Trump, prompting increased protection.

Iran has denied these "malicious" accusations.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran pleaded not guilty to charges related to a plot to assassinate an American politician, potentially targeting Trump.

Authorities are separately investigating an apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf course in mid-September.

On Tuesday, Ryan Routh, 58, was charged with the attempted assassination of the former president in Florida.

There has been no indication of Iranian involvement in these incidents.