Iran-US war latest: Washington names Strait of Hormuz demands as Trump issues ominous warning over ‘assassination plot’

‘Just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before’, Trump said he’s instructed the US to do if Iran assassinated him
The US has named its demands for the Strait of Hormuz to be open and safe, as Donald Trump issued an ominous warning over an alleged new plot from Iran to assassinate the president.
US officials said Friday the Trump administration is demanding Iran publicly state the vital oil waterway is open and vow to stop attacking ships attempting to pass through, according to reports.
It came after Trump said that he’s “left instructions” in case Iran assassinated him.
“I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before”, he told the New York Post.
Also Friday, Trump agreed to return to negotiations with Iran while insisting the US-Iran ceasefire ended after the two sides traded strikes this week.
The US military struck Iranian islands, ports and infrastructure for two consecutive nights after reporting Iran had struck three ships in the strait.
Qatari negotiators are understood to have travelled to Iran in a desperate effort to restart talks after disputes over navigation in the strait led to the collapse of diplomacy.
Iranian officials are expected to travel to Oman on Saturday for talks about the strait, reports say.
Traders bet against Strait of Hormuz traffic returning to normal by end of the month
Traders on the prediction market Polymarket have bet that there’s just an eight per cent chance that commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal by the end of the month.
Trump held call with Saudi crown prince: report
US President Donald Trump held a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Friday, Washington time, NewsNation’s Libbey Dean reported, citing Saudi state media.
Dean said the two leaders talked about Iran.
ICYMI: Israel shared intelligence of new Iranian plot to kill Trump with US officials, report says
Israel reportedly recently shared intelligence with the US about potential plans by Iran to kill President Donald Trump.
The news about the alleged plot, reported by The Wall Street Journal and CNN, comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Iran, with both sides trading strikes in recent days.
When asked by The Independent about the alleged intelligence tip, the White House pointed to President Trump’s recent comments claiming that he was under threat from Iran.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader — me”, Trump said. “And so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long”.
Read on...
Israel shared intelligence of potential Iranian plot to kill Trump with US: report
Trump administration warns if Iran refuses its Strait of Hormuz demands it won't be a 'good outcome': report
The Trump administration has warned if Iran refuses its demands to publicly announce the Strait of Hormuz is open and safe, it won't be a “good outcome” for the country, NewsNation’s Libbey Dean reported, citing a senior US official.
Over 20 ships transit Strait of Hormuz
A total of 22 ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.
Commercial traffic in the vital oil waterway remains diminished as the Trump administration reportedly demands Iran publicly announce the strait is open and safe.
Watch: US ambassador says negotiations can't continue while Iran targets 'civilian objects'
FULL STORY: Trump’s instructions if Iran assassinates him: ‘Literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before’
After spending several days labeling himself Iran’s “No. 1 target” and warning that he is under constant threat of assassination, US President Donald Trump stressed that he left his advisers specific instructions should anything ever happen to him.
“I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before”, he told The New York Post on Friday.
Trump has repeatedly indicated that he wants the US military to destroy the country should Iranian officials follow through on alleged plans to assassinate the president. While signing an executive order threatening “maximum pressure” against the regime in February 2025, the president said the country “would be obliterated” if he were killed.
“I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left”, he said at the time.
Read on...
Trump says he left ‘instructions’ to ‘literally bomb’ Iran if he’s assassinated
Ambassador says US cannot negotiate with Iran while it targets 'civilian objects'
Tammy Bruce, deputy US representative to the United Nations, has said Washington cannot negotiate with Iran while it targets “civilian objects”.
“We made progress in our discussions with Iran with the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The door to diplomacy remains open and is our preferred path to resolve concerns related to Iran’s nuclear program.
“We hope Iran chooses to come back into compliance with its obligations, and to engage seriously in talks toward reaching a final deal”, Bruce said at a UN Security Council briefing.
“While dialogue remains possible, we cannot negotiate while Iran reneges on the basic of obligations. Simple obligations—such as don’t shoot at civilian objects.
“But to be clear: the United States stands ready to hold Iran to account for its acts that defy international peace and security. If you shoot at civilian objects or ships, we will respond”.
US Ambassador to Nato says 'Europe was asleep' but Trump administration 'fixed that'
US Ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker has said “Europe was asleep” but that the Trump administration “fixed that”.
“They were not capable and could not come up alongside the United States, and we have fixed that with President Trump’s leadership”, Whitaker told Fox News.
“We are seeing Europe for the first time in 77 years start spending more money on their defense, becoming more capable and taking over the conventional defense of Europe”, he added.
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Facts Only

* The US demanded that Iran publicly state the Strait of Hormuz is open and safe.
* US officials reportedly demanded Iran vow to stop attacking ships attempting to pass through the strait.
* President Trump stated he left instructions for military action if Iran assassinated him, recommending bombing at unprecedented levels.
* The US military struck Iranian islands, ports, and infrastructure for two consecutive nights after reporting Iran struck three ships in the strait.
* Trump agreed to return to negotiations with Iran following recent strikes.
* Qatari negotiators traveled to Iran to restart talks over navigation disputes in the strait.
* Traders bet that commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz would not return to normal by the end of the month.
* Donald Trump held a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
* Israel reportedly shared intelligence regarding an alleged Iranian plot to kill Trump with US officials.
* US Ambassador Tammy Bruce stated negotiations cannot continue while Iran targets "civilian objects."

Executive Summary

The Trump administration has stated that if Iran refuses to publicly declare the Strait of Hormuz open and safe, the outcome will not be positive for the country. This demand follows reports that US officials are pushing Iran to publicly affirm the waterway is safe and to pledge to stop attacks on passing ships. Separately, President Trump indicated he left instructions for military action in the event of an Iranian assassination, stating that if such an event occurs, the order is to bomb the targets at unprecedented levels. Furthermore, negotiations between the US and Iran were reportedly resumed following recent strikes by both sides. Efforts to restart talks have been complicated by disputes over navigation in the strait, leading Qatari negotiators to seek renewed discussions with Iran, with Iranian officials expected to travel to Oman for talks. Market predictions suggest diminished commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains a concern, with some betting that normalcy will not return by month's end.

Full Take

The narrative involves the juxtaposition of high-stakes geopolitical maneuvering—demands over a vital waterway, threats of extreme military escalation based on assassination scenarios, and diplomatic deadlock—all framed by an atmosphere of severe mistrust. The pattern emerges around the weaponization of communication; the demand for Iran to publicly declare safety is contingent upon internal political concessions, which in turn is linked to explicit threats regarding potential kinetic responses against the regime. This creates a closed loop where diplomacy is stalled because foundational security and political demands are intertwined with extreme, non-negotiable parameters set by leadership figures like Trump. The context of alleged intelligence sharing, such as the information provided by Israel to the US, suggests that these public demands operate within a domain where verifiable facts are secondary to strategic positioning. The persistent uncertainty reflected in market predictions regarding shipping traffic points to an underlying systemic fragility; the stated goal of re-establishing stable dialogue appears constantly undermined by actions or threats from opposing parties, suggesting that current geopolitical tension functions less as a friction point for negotiation and more as a mechanism for asserting asymmetrical power through unilateral declarations. What assumptions underpin the readiness to deploy such extreme rhetoric—such as the implied threat of mass destruction in response to assassination—and how does this framework influence the perception of human agency within these conflict zones?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

The text reads like a compilation of recent, high-tension news reports stitched together around key political statements and diplomatic actions, exhibiting typical journalistic structuring rather than pure, unadorned AI generation.

Signals Detected

Sentence length variance is moderate; the text shifts between direct quotes and narrative reporting without becoming overly uniform.

The flow connects disparate, high-tension topics (maritime demands, assassination threats, diplomatic deadlock) through reported events, suggesting editorial curation rather than pure, uncontextual synthesis.

The text aggregates multiple attributed claims (Trump quote, official reports, trade predictions) which points toward synthesizing a known news event stream rather than generating novel links.

The specific details about the Trump instructions and the various attributed quotes suggest reliance on existing reporting, but without clear source citation for all linkages, increasing fabrication risk slightly.

Human Indicators

Inclusion of direct, high-impact, and often sensationalized quotes (e.g., the bombing instruction) typical of breaking news reporting.

The juxtaposition of geopolitical maneuvering, maritime concerns, and personal threats suggests an embedded narrative flow beyond simple data presentation.