War and fear. Tehran’s plans against Trump’s and Bibi’s children

Tel Aviv. “Where and how should we kill Barron Trump?” This is the title – far from metaphorical – of a video lasting almost three minutes, broadcast by Iranian state television and reposted by the Pasdaran’s media apparatus. The footage shows places frequented by the US president’s 20-year-old son, from Trump Tower to the university campus, the security convoy’s cars and even the positions of Secret Service agents. And, according to the video, there is a ten-million-dollar bounty on his head. The secret services have confirmed that they have launched investigations into anything that could pose a threat to people who may currently be in danger.

A few days after the threats directed at the White House, Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that the regime had also attempted to assassinate a member of his family. “Iran has targeted one of my sons, trying to kill him,” the Israeli Prime Minister told Channel 14. He did not specify which one. However, according to the American and Israeli press, it is believed to be Yair, aged 35, who until a few months ago lived mainly in Miami. Israeli intelligence is said to have uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate him in Florida as early as last December. For this reason, Yair was reportedly asked to leave the United States immediately and return to Israel.

Barron and Yair are the sons of the two men whom Tehran holds responsible for the conflict that began on 28 February, with the joint US-Israeli attacks against the regime and the killing, on the very first day, of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Six months on, the Islamic Republic is severely weakened both militarily and economically, but not defeated. And, above all, it continues to possess the weapon capable of keeping its adversaries in check: the Strait of Hormuz, where the most crucial part of the war – the economic one – is being fought today.

Direct hostilities between Iran and the United States have been on hold for weeks, but traffic through the Strait – through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas previously passed – remains drastically reduced. Washington and Tehran are vying for control of the route, whilst Oman is attempting to negotiate a temporary corridor to allow ships to pass through.

Meanwhile, the US President maintains that the mines have been cleared and has vowed to destroy any Iranian vessel attempting to lay new ones, whilst Tehran is responding to the new sanctions by promising retaliation. It is precisely in this stalemate that the war appears to have shifted onto a new, more personal front. Trump has already stated that he considers himself “number one on Iran’s hit list”.

Back in July, the Iranian media had already released a video focusing on First Lady Melania, detailing her movements and alleged security vulnerabilities. Now it appears to be her son’s turn, and this is by no means a trivial matter. In the logic of the Islamic Republic, individual threats and acts of revenge have long held political significance.

Attacking – or even merely threatening – the families of Trump and Netanyahu effectively sends a message that goes beyond the fate of the two boys, declaring to the two leaders: your military superiority may reach us in Tehran, but our retaliation can reach Miami, New York, and wherever else is necessary. And this is perhaps the most delicate aspect of the new phase of the conflict. Whilst diplomats and mediators seek a formula to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and transform the de facto truce into something more stable or even a formal agreement, the conflict continues to unfold in a realm where neither treaties nor borders exist: the realm of fear.

The statement made by Netanyahu, even more so than Iran’s televised threats, encapsulates the essence of this new phase of the war, which has become personal: “Iran tried to assassinate one of my sons. That is why security is not a luxury.”