**Iranian state-linked outlet posts video targeting Melania Trump and Barron Trump**
An Iranian news outlet closely tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has released a video that names U.S. first lady Melania Trump as a target and ends with a threat directed at the couple’s son, Barron Trump.
The roughly two-minute clip, circulated by Tasnim News Agency under titles including “Where to Kill Melania?!” and “How to Kill Melania Trump,” was posted on the agency’s Telegram channel. Tasnim has long been described by the U.S. government as IRGC-linked; Washington sanctioned the outlet in 2023. The video appeared amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions after earlier military exchanges that included strikes that Iranian officials say killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family.
The production claims its material came from “anonymous security networks” and satellite imagery. Independent reporting has said much of the imagery appears publicly available or computer-generated. It shows the first lady in a motorcade and at New York locations, naming luxury stores including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. Overlays and narration describe shopping trips as potential opportunities for what the video calls “global freedom fighters.”
The narration frames Melania Trump’s interest in fashion as a vulnerability. It discusses contaminating clothing with a nerve agent and names members of her styling team, suggesting they could be offered money. The clip closes with the line: “This is just the beginning. Barron Trump, wait for us.” Barron Trump is 20.
The U.S. Secret Service said it was aware of the video and investigates perceived threats to its protectees. A spokesperson declined to discuss operational details. Melania Trump and Barron Trump both have full-time Secret Service protection. Security remains in place at the White House, Trump Tower in New York, the Bedminster club in New Jersey, and Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
The East Wing did not immediately comment. Melania Trump has kept a lower public profile in recent weeks and skipped the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner; a person close to her cited a scheduling conflict.
The video is part of a broader Iranian propaganda campaign against the Trump family. Last week, billboards in Tehran called for the deaths of President Donald Trump and relatives, including Melania Trump and his children. One display used the slogan “Blood for blood.” Another showed mocked-up images of Melania, Barron, and Ivanka Trump with their eyes closed and the word “KILLED,” along with the message “Hey, terrorist! Get ready to die.” Earlier murals depicted the president and family members with flag-draped coffins.
President Trump has said he has long been on Iranian target lists. After Iranian threats, he used an older Air Force One aircraft when leaving Turkey following a NATO meeting. He told reporters that if he were attacked, he had left instructions “to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
Tasnim previously posted a similar video focused on the president. Analysts and some U.S. commentators have described the latest clip as intended to intimidate and project strength rather than as a realistic operational plan, noting that proposed methods such as contaminating retail clothing would be difficult to carry out against a protectee with a full security detail.
The threats have not produced a confirmed plot in the United States, according to public statements. Officials continue to treat the material as a threat requiring investigation while emphasizing existing protective measures for the first family.
