A propaganda video produced in Tehran and circulated by a news agency closely aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is urging attacks on First Lady Melania Trump and threatening her youngest son, Barron, the latest sign of escalating hostility toward President Trump’s family during the conflict with Iran.
A video with a violent title
The roughly two-minute clip, titled “How to Kill Melania Trump” and also circulated as “Where to Kill Melania?!”, was released by the Tasnim News Agency.
It features footage of the First Lady traveling in her motorcade and at locations across New York City. The video names upscale designer stores she is known to visit, including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. Red, target-like circles are superimposed over the store signs as a limousine carrying her passes by.
The narration says these shopping trips could be “suitable for operations by global freedom fighters.”
Poisoning threat and staff named
The video goes further by suggesting that clothing she might buy could be contaminated with a nerve agent. It specifically recommends VX, an oily, odorless, and tasteless liquid, as the poison.
The production also names three of Melania Trump’s personal stylists and proposes paying them large sums to carry out the poisoning.
Near the end of the video, the threat extends to Barron Trump, who is 20 years old. The narrator says: “This is just the beginning. Barron Trump, wait for us.”
Security response
The East Wing and the Secret Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Later, a Secret Service spokesperson confirmed that the agency is aware of the video and investigates any perceived threat to the people it protects. The spokesperson declined to discuss operational details.
Both the First Lady and Barron have full-time Secret Service protection. Trump family residences, including the White House, Trump Tower in New York, the Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, and the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, remain under heavy security.
A pattern of threats
The video is not an isolated incident. The Trump family has faced repeated threats since the war with Iran began after a joint U.S.-Israeli operation killed the country’s supreme leader and other senior figures.
Last week, billboards appeared in Tehran calling for the death of President Trump and his family members, including Melania and all of his children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron. One display read “Blood for blood.”
Another billboard showed doctored images of Melania, Barron, and Ivanka with their eyes closed and the word “KILLED” stamped across them. It carried the message “Hey, terrorist! Get ready to die.”
Melania Trump has kept a lower public profile this month. She skipped Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and a source close to her cited a “scheduling conflict.”
The president responds
President Trump remains Iran’s primary target and has addressed the threats directly. Earlier this month, citing Iranian threats, he switched from the new Air Force One to an older aircraft when leaving Turkey after a NATO meeting.
Speaking to reporters, Trump warned of the consequences of any successful attack.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he said. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions—if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
Context
The videos and billboards are part of a broader information campaign by Iran’s state-linked media, which continues to publish threats even as the country faces military losses. U.S. officials and many analysts view such content as an effort to intimidate American leaders and show strength to domestic and foreign audiences. The Secret Service’s protective measures and the president’s public response make clear that the threats are being taken seriously.
