US Secret Service Investigates Iranian State Media Video Targeting Barron Trump

The US Secret Service has confirmed it is aware of a broadcast by Iran’s state broadcaster that appears to target and threaten the life of Barron Trump, the youngest son of US President Donald Trump.

Hardline Iranian media have repeatedly featured content threatening the life of President Trump and his family following the assassination of its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many of his family members at the outset of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February. While threats have previously been directed at First Lady Melania Trump, this marks the first time their son Barron has been publicly singled out.

“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” said Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring in a statement to CNN. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”

The nearly three-minute video starts with an English-language graphic asking, “Where to kill Barron Trump?!,” and displays stylized graphics highlighting locations where the younger Trump is known to spend time, including Trump Tower in New York. Toward the conclusion of the broadcast, the narrator claims individuals are “eagerly waiting to receive our $10 million reward.” The segment was aired over the weekend by Iranian broadcaster IRIB, a state media outlet aligned with hardline factions of the Iranian regime whose head is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader.

A federal law enforcement source informed CNN that the video forms part of a broader campaign by Iran aimed at the Trump family and President Trump himself, with certain videos containing movement specifics and suggestions for harming members of the president’s family. The source noted that protective operations are continually adjusted based on intelligence gathered by the Secret Service, other agencies, police forces, and international partners. CNN reached out to the White House for comment.

President Trump has previously addressed Iranian threats to his life, noting at a NATO summit in Turkey that he is on a targeted list. That summit saw him depart secretly on an alternate military plane, boarding while hidden inside a catering truck due to specific intelligence regarding an Iranian threat involving a shoulder-fired missile.

The US government has consistently warned of potential Iranian assassination attempts against President Trump since the 2000 drone strike he ordered that resulted in the death of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. During memorial events for the late Khamenei in July, regime loyalists displayed posters demanding “Kill Trump” and offered a bounty for anyone avenging their leader's death. Anti-American sentiments and state-organized rallies featuring chants of “Death to America” and flag burning have remained staples in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.