A War of Assassinations
The U.S. and Iran are engaged in a high-stakes conflict characterized by targeted assassinations and bounty programs. Recent escalations include threats against the U.S. president's family and the U.S. targeting of Iranian military leadership.
Why it matters
This highlights a dangerous shift in international relations where state-sponsored assassination threats have become a central, disruptive element of geopolitical strategy.
The U.S. and Iran are engaged in a conflict that is massive in scale but personal in nature.
Kaveh Kazemi / Getty September 8, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save T he latest Iranian assassination threat arrived last month as a video called “Where to Kill Barron Trump,” promising $10 million for the murder of the U.S. president’s youngest child. Less than 24 hours later, on social media, the State Department re-upped its own $10 million bounty for “information” about five leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Majid Khademi, the intelligence-office commander.
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