Iran’s state-controlled newspaper Kayhan, whose editorial guidelines are directly dictated by the Supreme Leader’s office, has openly threatened to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump. The threat appeared in Kayhan’s infamous “Goftego” column published on April 4, 2025. The author wrote, “Any day now, bullets will be shot into Trump’s empty skull as revenge for the blood of Martyr Soleimani, and he will swallow the ‘bitter draught of damnation.’”
Kayhan, known for its extremist propaganda and belligerent rhetoric, made the statement with the clear intent to project power and boost the morale of the regime’s demoralized base. Instead, the threat underscores the regime’s reliance on terroristic language and its obsession with elimination and assassination as primary tools for foreign policy.
The following day, Kayhan doubled down on its violent rhetoric, reiterating the threat in another column and dismissing critics as “Western-oriented elements” who seek to undermine Iran’s strategic interests. The editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari, who is directly appointed by the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appeared to taunt dissenters, portraying their concerns as proof of weakness.
#Iran News in Brief
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Aerospace commander of the #IRGCterrorists threatened to kill several #American officials, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary Mike Pompeo and General McKenzie to avenge Qassem Soleimani.https://t.co/EUfvPSUJ6W pic.twitter.com/6H5sjbGVRk— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 28, 2023
On April 6, 2025, in response to the domestic backlash, Kayhan published another article defending its death threat against Trump. The newspaper framed its language as consistent with the Supreme Leader’s previous statements about revenge for Qassem Soleimani’s assassination. It accused critics of being “Western-oriented elements” who seek to weaken Iran by promoting “humiliating negotiations and submission to the U.S.”
Kayhan further argued that its call for retaliation was rooted in “Islamic principles” and directly aligned with the Supreme Leader’s public vows of revenge, particularly his statements in December 2020 and November 2022 affirming that revenge would be exacted “at the right time and place.”