Amid the ongoing tense standoff between Washington and Tehran, a new flashpoint has emerged after Iranian state television broadcast what appeared to be a direct threat against US President Donald Trump, using imagery from the 2024 assassination attempt at a campaign rally.
The broadcast showed Trump’s image from the July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- where he was wounded by a bullet -- paired with the message: “This time it will not miss the target”, according to reports by AFP and the New York Post.
The airing is seen as one of Tehran’s most explicit threats yet, coming amid reports that Trump is weighing military strikes against Iran.
The clip was shared on X by journalists and monitoring accounts, including Amichai Stein and Sana Ebrahimi. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the broadcast at the time of publication.
By airing an image of President Trump after the attempted assassination, Iran’s state TV is issuing a direct threat to the United States and to President Trump: “This time, the bullet won’t miss.” says the sign in Persian. pic.twitter.com/BDj7zn8wRs— ثنا ابراهیمی | Sana Ebrahimi (@__Injaneb96) January 14, 2026
The broadcast alluded to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, where shots were fired at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump from a nearby rooftop.
The assailant, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, injured Trump in the ear, fatally shot one attendee and wounded several others before being taken out by Secret Service counter-snipers.
US authorities concluded the shooting was the work of a lone gunman, who was shot dead at the scene. The rally at the Butler Farm Show Grounds subsequently became a high-profile reference point in US debates on campaign security.
The timing of the broadcast is notable as Iran grapples with widespread domestic unrest, with protests since late December 2025 evolving into one of the largest anti-government movements in recent years. Rights groups place the death toll above 2,500 amid a severe crackdown, while Iranian officials continue to allege foreign interference even as they maintain contacts with the international community.
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