Iranian agency Fars publishes video on possible assassination locations targeting Trump

Background: Death of Khamenei and rhetoric of retaliation

The background is calls for retaliation from the Iranian state leadership for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February. Khamenei died on 28 February in an Israeli airstrike on his official residence. The Iranian state leadership has issued calls for retaliation.

A large part of the Iranian population does not stand behind the revenge demands of the ultra-conservative state leadership. Many people in the country are tired of the war and the economic consequences that have put Iranian society under massive pressure. The publication of the video thus stands in contradiction to the mood among large parts of the Iranian population.

Security concerns along the route

As early as January 2026, the US president's route in Florida had been altered because of a suspicious object at the airport. This incident illustrates the existing security concerns along the route. The footage now published intensifies the debate over the president's security.

The dissemination of the video across multiple platforms, including Telegram and X, is causing international concern. The deletion of the version on X also shows how platforms respond to such content. The Iranian agency Fars has not withdrawn the video so far.

Reactions and platform interventions

Tensions between the US and Iran have intensified markedly since Khamenei's death. The Iranian leadership's rhetoric of retaliation stands in contrast to the war-weariness of the population. Observers see the video as part of a propagandistic escalation.

The US security authorities are examining the authenticity and the precise depiction of the route shown in the video. Since the depiction does not correspond to publicly available maps, it is unclear to what extent the footage actually contains actionable information. The US government has so far not publicly commented on the video.

The incident raises questions about the responsibility of state and state-affiliated media in conflict situations. The publication of alleged assassination locations by a government-affiliated agency represents a new quality of propagandistic escalation. At the same time, the distancing of large parts of the Iranian population makes clear that the state leadership, with its calls for retaliation, does not represent the majority of the population.