The US and Iran will resume their talks in Norway this week. Trump said that he would like to lift sanctions off Iran at some point, but Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that trust would be an issue going forward in the relationship between the two countries.
Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a former senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has made a provocative remark suggesting that former U.S. President Donald Trump could be targeted by Iran while sunbathing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“Trump has done something that means he can no longer lie in the sun at Mar-a-Lago,” Larijani reportedly said in an interview with Iran International. “As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It’s very simple.”
The comments appear to be a veiled reference to the 2020 U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani — an event that continues to fuel hostility between the two nations.
When asked about the threat during a Fox News interview, Trump appeared unfazed, even joking about the idea. Host Peter Doocy asked when he last sunbathed. “It’s been a long time. I don’t know, maybe when I was seven or so,” Trump replied. “I’m not too big into it. I guess it’s a threat. I’m sure it’s not a threat, actually, but perhaps it is.”
Larijani’s remarks come just two weeks after the U.S. launched airstrikes on several of Iran’s nuclear and military sites, amid escalating tensions during a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. While Trump has claimed that the bombings “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, some experts argue the strikes may have fallen short, suggesting that Iran may have relocated its enriched uranium stockpile before the attacks.
However, an Israeli intelligence official contradicted that theory, saying current evidence shows Iran’s nuclear materials were not moved and remain at their known facilities.
As the U.S. and Iran prepare to resume diplomatic talks in Norway this week, the atmosphere remains tense. Trump has said he is open to lifting sanctions on Iran “at some point,” but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed skepticism in an interview with Tucker Carlson, saying trust will be a major hurdle in rebuilding relations.
Trump has also warned that he would not hesitate to order further strikes if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refuses to halt the country’s nuclear enrichment program.
