US to impose maximum pressure on Tehran: Donald Trump instructs advisors to ‘obliterate’ Iran if it assassinates him

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

US President Donald Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran on Tuesday, using a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce new economic measures aimed at pressuring Iran into concessions, including giving up its nuclear program.
The White House did not immediately release details of the executive order, so its exact terms remain unclear. Trump, who has previously expressed interest in negotiations with Iran, said he was hesitant to sign it.
“So this is one I’m torn about,” he told reporters. “Everyone wants me to sign it. I’ll do that.” He added, “We have to be strong and firm, and I hope that it’s not going to have to be used in any great measure at all.”
Trump suggested Iran could negotiate a new agreement, which would likely include restrictions on its support for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
Trump instructs to ‘obliterate’ Iran
Trump also said he has given his advisers instructions to respond forcefully if Iran assassinates him.
“If they did that, they would be obliterated,” Trump said while signing the executive order. “I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left.”
Federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years.
In 2020, Trump ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

It is uncertain if the new pressure campaign will succeed. Trump also pursued maximum pressure in 2018 after withdrawing the US from the nuclear deal Iran had signed with the Obama administration in 2015. While Trump considers that decision a success, many analysts argue it had the opposite effect. European countries did not support the approach, and Iran eventually left the agreement, advancing its nuclear program.
In recent years, Iran has resumed large-scale uranium enrichment. Inspectors and experts estimate that Iran now has enough uranium, enriched just below bomb-grade, to produce at least four weapons.
Trump’s executive order on Tuesday included measures to block Iranian oil shipments, many of which go to China. China has not followed US sanctions, and Trump has accused President Joe Biden of allowing Iran to bypass existing restrictions.