Iran releases chilling ‘How to kill Melania Trump’ video threatening First Lady and Barron warning pair, ‘wait for us’
The US Secret Service says it is investigating a disturbing propaganda film which encourages attacks on the First Lady, discusses poisoning her clothes and ends with a direct threat against her 20-year-old son.
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An Iranian news agency controlled by figures in the country’s Revolutionary Guard has released a chilling video encouraging the assassination of Melania Trump and threatening her son Barron.
The two-minute film, titled “Where to Kill Melania?!”, contains what it claims is a detailed assessment of the First Lady’s movements, shopping habits and security arrangements in New York.
Much of the footage appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence, with fabricated images showing Mrs Trump travelling in a motorcade and visiting designer shops in Manhattan.
The video calls on “global freedom fighters” to take action against the First Lady, discusses possible opportunities to attack her and ends with the warning: “This is just the beginning. Barron Trump, wait for us.”
The US Secret Service has said it is aware of the footage and is looking into it as a potential threat.
Nate Herring, a spokesman for the agency, said: “The Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees.”
He added: “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”
The USSS does not only protect politicians and high profile, at risk persons, but also maintains a protective intelligence network which investigates thousands of threats a year against the President and others under it's protection.
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The film was published on Monday by Tasnim News Agency, an Iranian outlet with direct ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The US Treasury says Tasnim was founded by two IRGC commanders and has continued to operate under the organisation’s control.
Washington sanctioned the agency in 2023, describing it as being owned or controlled by, or acting on behalf of, the Revolutionary Guard.
The video attempts to use publicly available information up as a sophisticated intelligence operation, claiming its material was gathered from anonymous security networks and satellite imagery.
It uses maps, aerial images and surveillance-style graphics to identify luxury shops said to be visited by Mrs Trump, including stores around Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.
It also claims that changes to the streets around the First Lady’s route, including the removal of public bins and the sealing of manhole covers, could indicate that a protected visit is imminent.
Aran Dharmeratnam, a security expert working in protective intelligence, told LBC that material designed to inspire attacks could pose a genuine risk, even if it was not produced as part of an organised Iranian operation.
“Content depicting threats, encouraging violence or providing instructions intended to help terror cells or lone actors carry out attacks or assassination plots must be taken extremely seriously,” he said.
“Organised threat actors often use this material to spread hatred, cause chaos and encourage loss of life. Even if the video was created by a lone aggressor rather than as part of a proxy operation, it will be treated seriously by the US Secret Service and counter-terrorism and law-enforcement agencies.
“Terror networks are constantly exchanging tactics and encouraging hostile actors to carry out attacks against US political figures. Fortunately, many of these plots are thwarted by US law enforcement, intelligence and security services.”
At one point, the film suggests that clothing could be contaminated with the nerve agent VX before being sold to Mrs Trump. It also names members of her styling team and suggests they could be bribed or exploited.
The clip appears to combine publicly available details with largely synthetic footage to create the impression that those behind it have access to a genuine intelligence picture, yet security sources told LBC much of the information is actually available to the public.
Speaking to LBC an analyst specialising in Iranian external operations said: "Iranian state media inciting against the President's family and First Lady is of greater cognitive than kinetic value, and likely feeds into Tehran's posturing and attempts to project strength as it may be approaching another round of negotiations with the US."
Both Melania and Barron Trump receive protection from the US Secret Service, while the Trump family’s homes and properties, including the White House, Trump Tower in Manhattan and Mar-a-Lago in Florida, are heavily guarded.
The video comes amid a wider campaign of violent threats against the Trump family inside Iran.
Billboards displayed in Tehran this month have shown Donald Trump and members of his family above coffins covered with American flags, while another installation depicted the US president lying in an open coffin.
Crowds have also displayed banners reading “We will kill Trump” during events mourning Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike earlier this year.
Donald Trump has repeatedly said he believes he is Iran’s primary assassination target and has warned Tehran that any attempt to kill him would trigger overwhelming US retaliation.
The latest threat has emerged at an especially sensitive moment, with Washington and Tehran exploring whether a new diplomatic agreement can be reached after the United States paused almost two weeks of strikes against Iran.
Trump said this week that talks were progressing, although Iran has denied that direct negotiations are taking place and says messages are instead being exchanged through mediators.
The White House has been approached for comment.