Iranian official says Trump could be hit with drone while sunbathing at Mar-a-Lago

A senior Iranian official has claimed that US President Donald Trump could be assassinated in a drone strike while sunbathing at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.

Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the former adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the president could be targeted at any time.

"Trump has done something so that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago," Mr Larijani said, according to London-based outlet Iran International.

"As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It’s very simple."

The remarks were later put to Trump during an interview on Fox News, who laughed off the sudden threat. Host Peter Doocy asked the president when he last went sunbathing. A smiling Trump replied: "It’s been a long time. I don’t know, maybe I was around seven or so. I’m not too big into it."

He added: "I guess it’s a threat. I’m sure it’s not a threat, actually, but perhaps it is."

The comments come two weeks after the US intervened in the 12-day war between Israel and Iran by striking Tehran’s three nuclear facilities.

Iranian clerics and state media called for retaliation against Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have been condemned for targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the war. 

A so-called "Blood Pact" platform in Iran has been raising funds for “retribution against those who mock and threaten the Supreme Leader". The website, which claims to have raised over $40 million, claimed that it will reward anyone who helps "bring the enemies of God and those who threaten the life of Ali Khamenei to justice".

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has attempted to distance his administration from the campaign.

In an interview aired on Monday with US commentator Tucker Carlson, Pezeshkian said the fatwa "has nothing to do with the Iranian government or the Supreme Leader", as he seeks to soften the official stance in the lead-up to resumed indirect talks with Washington.

Talks set to resume

Talks between Tehran and Washington are scheduled to resume in Norway this week, following backchannel discussions over the nuclear issue and regional security.

On Monday, Trump said he would "like to lift sanctions on Iran at some point", suggesting that US economic interests may ultimately shape a diplomatic resolution.

In a post on X, said that "American investors can come to Iran with no obstacles to their activities".

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to claim that American strikes "obliterated" key nuclear facilities, but satellite analysts and nuclear experts have suggested Tehran may have moved enriched uranium to undisclosed locations prior to the attacks.