WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday shared a social media post explicitly calling for the killing of Iranian leaders who refuse to accept US demands, dramatically escalating threats against Tehran during a fragile and already tenuous ceasefire.
The post, shared by Trump on his Truth Social account, was written by Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for the George W. Bush administration.
“If there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal,” Thiessen wrote on X, quoting himself from a Fox News appearance.
A call for assassination – in writing
Thiessen doubled down in a Washington Post op-ed published Wednesday titled “Trump Doesn’t Need a Deal to Get What He Wants From Iran,” which Trump also shared.
In the piece, Thiessen argued that Trump should restart the illegal bombing campaign against Iran and specifically target Iranian leaders for assassination.
“Trump needs to disabuse them of that notion,” Thiessen wrote. “He has reportedly told Iran that it has three to five days to make a serious counteroffer. If it fails to do so, he should resume combat operations — starting with strikes targeting Iran’s recalcitrant leaders.”
He added: “If the Iranian regime is really ‘fractured’ between a faction that wants a deal and a faction that does not, there is a simple solution: Kill the faction that does not.”
Why this is illegal under international law
| Violation | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Calls for assassination | UN Charter Article 2(4) prohibits threat or use of force against political independence |
| Targeting political leaders | Extrajudicial killing is a war crime under Geneva Conventions |
| Incitement to violence | International law prohibits direct and public incitement to commit atrocities |
The assassination of foreign political leaders is explicitly prohibited by US executive orders dating back to the Ford administration, which banned assassination as a tool of US foreign policy.
The disconnect between rhetoric and reality
While Thiessen and Trump claim Iran’s military has been “essentially obliterated,” US intelligence tells a different story.
According to US officials speaking to The New York Times, American intelligence assesses that Tehran likely retains access to the majority of its missiles and launchers. Iran continued missile and drone attacks throughout the entire war, despite two months of unrelenting US and Israeli bombardment.
Thiessen also argued the US should maintain its illegal maritime blockade and claimed the US military could open the Strait of Hormuz by force, needing only 14 more days to “finish the job.”
The context of the ceasefire
The call for assassination comes as:
- A two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan has expired
- Indirect talks in Islamabad have produced no agreement
- Iran has repeatedly said it will not negotiate under threats
- The US continues its unlawful maritime blockade against Iranian shipping
The bottom line
A sitting US president has now publicly amplified a call to assassinate foreign leaders who refuse to surrender to American demands. This is not diplomacy. This is not negotiation. Under international law, it is incitement to war crimes – broadcast from the highest office in the United States.
