U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a forceful warning to the Iranian leadership, stating that the entire country would be destroyed if Tehran were to act on perceived threats against him.

Speaking in a January 20 interview on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, Trump responded to questions about reported threats from Iranian officials, asserting that he has already issued “very firm instructions” to respond decisively to any hostile action.

“I’ve left notification… anything ever happens, the whole country’s going to get blown up,” he said.

Trump framed his warning within the context of alleged assassination plots that U.S. intelligence officials briefed him on during his 2024 presidential campaign.

He criticized former President Joe Biden for what he described as insufficient public responses to earlier Iranian provocations.

“A president has to defend a president,” Trump said.

His comments also included repeated assertions that if anything were to happen to him, Iran would be “wiped off the face of this Earth”.

Trump’s comments follows continued domestic unrest in Iran, where widespread protests against economic conditions and political repression have led to significant casualties and detention figures reported by rights groups.