Iran has issued a sharp warning to Donald Trump, cautioning him to “be careful not to be eliminated” after the U.S. leader criticized Tehran’s newly appointed supreme leader and threatened retaliation over tensions in the Persian Gulf.
The warning came from Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, who dismissed Trump’s comments as baseless and warned that previous adversaries had failed to defeat the Iranian nation.
Larijani said the United States should reconsider its rhetoric as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
Trump, speaking during a television interview on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, criticised the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, saying Washington was unhappy with the development and would respond forcefully if Iran attempted to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. president warned that Tehran would face severe consequences if it blocked the vital maritime route used for global energy exports.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was confirmed as Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday, March 8, 2026, by the country’s 88-member Assembly of Experts following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a joint U.S.–Israeli strike carried out on February 28, 2026.
The new leader is widely regarded as a hardline figure with strong links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and analysts believe his leadership could intensify Iran’s confrontational posture toward Western powers.
The latest exchange comes amid an expanding confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
U.S. officials previously disclosed that Trump was the target of a foiled assassination plot during the 2024 presidential campaign, allegedly organised by Iranian operatives seeking retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
Security analysts say the increasingly hostile rhetoric from both sides reflects deepening geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, with fears that further escalation could threaten regional stability and disrupt global oil supplies.