Barron Trump on Iran's target? State TV airs video claiming $10 million bounty

Amid a sharp escalation in threats against US President Donald Trump and his family, Iranian state television has aired a video targeting Trump's 20-year-old son Barron Trump. The video claims Barron's movements have been "fully monitored" and that a $10 million bounty has been placed on him. The roughly three-minute broadcast was aired on Channel 3 and circulated by media linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to several reports, the video, titled "Where and how should we kill Barron Trump?" claims to identify parts of Barron's security detail and that information about his movements and personal activities had been gathered. Iranian state television also alleged that "a girl" had managed to get past his Secret Service protection, met Barron privately and passed information to those behind the programme. The reported bounty and the claims about his movements could not be independently verified.

VIDEO CLAIMS TO MAP BARRON'S MOVEMENTS

The broadcast reportedly showed the location of Barron's university, escort vehicles and positions of Secret Service personnel. It also claimed that he communicates privately through voice and text on Xbox away from his security detail. The video further portrayed efforts to map Barron's social connections and identify potential ways to reach him. Stylised graphics depicting surveillance, online activity and people in Barron's surroundings were displayed in the video.

Toward the end of the broadcast, the programme referred to a $10 million reward for targeting the US President's son.

The Jerusalem Post, which reviewed material linked to the broadcast, reported that the video showed locations Barron had previously visited, including Trump Tower and his school campus. It also claimed that Secret Service agents had blended into his surroundings by posing as students.

MELANIA WAS TARGET OF EARLIER VIDEO

The latest broadcast follows a similar campaign to target Trump and his family members.

In July, IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency released a video titled "Where and how is Melania Trump accessible?" The footage purported to detail US First Lady Melania Trump's movements in New York and pointed to alleged vulnerabilities in her security details.

Iranian state media has also issued direct threats against Trump.

TRUMP HAS ALSO BEEN TARGETED

In July, a billboard displayed in Tehran's Islamic Revolution Square showed an image portraying Trump dead in a coffin alongside the words "We will kill Trump", according to Euronews.

Another video previously circulated by Iranian state media purported to map Trump's motorcade routes between airports and his homes in Florida and New York. The US Secret Service confirmed it was reviewing that material.

The threats against Trump have a longer history. In January 2020, a US drone strike ordered by Trump during his first presidency killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, at Baghdad Airport.

Iranian officials vowed retaliation following Soleimani's killing and have repeatedly renewed those threats.

ALI KHAMENEI'S KILLING INTENSIFIED THREATS

The rhetoric intensified further after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28, according to reports cited by Euronews.

Some Iranian state media figures have since framed threats against Trump through the Islamic legal concept of "qisas", or retributive justice. The argument advanced by some hardline commentators is that those held responsible for Khamenei's death should face retaliation.

Trump has previously warned that any attempt on his life would bring a devastating US response. On January 20, he said that if Iran attempted to kill him, "the whole country of Iran will blow up", adding that he had issued orders that would "wipe the Islamic Republic off the face of the Earth" if such threats were carried out.

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