TEHRAN, April 7, 2025 — A hardline Iranian newspaper with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei triggered global alarm and domestic backlash after it published an editorial interpreted as an open threat to assassinate US President Donald Trump.
The editorial in Kayhan, long regarded as the voice of Iran’s ultraconservative factions, warned that “several bullets will be fired into Trump’s empty head,” referencing the 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad airport. The piece appeared in the paper’s “Dialogue” section on Saturday and declared that “righteous people,” including “the oppressed of Gaza,” would celebrate Trump’s death.
The statement came as US-Iran tensions flare again following Trump’s return to the White House. Trump recently threatened new airstrikes and sanctions if Tehran refuses to scale down its nuclear program. Washington has also deployed B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia and a second THAAD missile system to Israel.
The editorial unleashed a political storm inside Iran. Reformist politicians, journalists, and government officials condemned the rhetoric, warning it would hand Trump a propaganda win and escalate regional tensions.
Shargh, a reformist daily, blasted Kayhan’s language as “reckless” and accused it of undermining Iran’s interests. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani strongly criticized the editorial, calling it “a contradiction of the Islamic Republic’s principles” and warned it could justify military retaliation from the US. “We support justice through legitimate international means, not threats that harm our credibility,” she said.
In a rare rebuke, Iran’s Press Supervisory Board issued a formal warning to Kayhan, citing Article 6 of the national press law that prohibits content endangering national security or public interest. The Culture Ministry reiterated that Iran’s official position is to pursue justice for Soleimani through legal international channels, not through vigilante rhetoric.
