President Trump told reporters at a NATO summit press conference that Iran has placed him at the top of its assassination list — and he’s not backing down from the job anyway.

Story Snapshot

• Trump publicly declared he is “number one on the kill list for Iran” during a NATO summit press conference.
• Trump said Iran called for a bombing at the NATO summit that would have targeted him directly.
• The U.S. Department of Justice previously charged an Iranian national in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump.
• Trump says the threat has not stopped him from doing his job, despite what he called a 5.2% chance he “doesn’t make it.”

Trump Names Himself Iran’s Top Target at NATO

Standing before reporters at the NATO summit, President Trump made a blunt declaration: Iran wants him dead, and he’s their number one target. “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” Trump said plainly. He added that Iran had reportedly called for a bombing at the very summit where he was speaking. Trump said the threat would trigger a full NATO and U.S. military response if carried out — but said it hasn’t stopped him from showing up and doing his job.

Trump also addressed why he chose not to fly home on the new Air Force One, leaving it parked in Turkey. He cited the Iranian threat as a key security factor in that decision. In a separate interview with the New York Post, Trump again referenced the kill list, saying the danger is real and ongoing. He framed his decision to stay in Europe and attend the summit as a deliberate act of defiance against Iran’s threats.

DOJ Charges Back Up the Threat Is Real

Trump’s claim isn’t just talk. The U.S. Department of Justice charged an Iranian national named Farhad Shakeri in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump. That case gave legal weight to what Trump has long said — that Iran is actively trying to kill him. Politico also reported that Iran maintains a hit list that includes former Trump administration officials, showing the threat extends beyond the president himself.

Trump also confirmed that Iran has a broader list of U.S. politicians and media figures it considers targets. He said he sits at the top of that list. While no Iranian government document has been made public to confirm Trump’s exact ranking, the Justice Department’s charges show that Iranian assassination plots against U.S. officials are not just speculation — they are prosecuted federal crimes.

Iran’s Leadership Has Been Gutted — But the Threat Remains

Trump said Iran’s leadership has been hit hard by U.S. and Israeli strikes. “Their leaders are gone,” he said, describing wave after wave of Iranian commanders being eliminated. Trump later confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, a claim reported by PBS and other outlets. Israel also killed two senior Iranian commanders in a separate operation, further thinning Tehran’s chain of command.

🚨#Iran war, day 130 – what to know https://t.co/aEJ6fFf0K3#SkyNews
▪️#US begins second night of strikes: The US has begun a second night of attacks on Iran. Confirmation of the strikes came after Iranian media reported explosions in the country's south. Donald Trump said the… pic.twitter.com/8FDWB6ngHl

— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) July 8, 2026

Despite those losses, Trump made clear that Iran still poses a serious threat to his life and to U.S. interests. He said he may be next — but he keeps showing up. “I’m doing my job,” Trump told reporters. That posture — defiant in the face of a foreign regime’s assassination agenda — is exactly what his supporters expect from a president who has refused to bow to Iran’s threats since his first term in office. The strikes on Iranian leadership mark a dramatic shift in how the U.S. responds to those threats.

Sources:

instagram.com, youtube.com, npr.org