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Türkiye Prosecutors Order Nearly 1,000 Arrests ahead of Coup Anniversary
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Conflict & Security

Türkiye Prosecutors Order Nearly 1,000 Arrests ahead of Coup Anniversary

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • President Donald Trump suggested he has standing orders for the U.S. military to attack Iran if Tehran attempts to assassinate him.
  • However, the U.S. government lacks a "dead man's switch" for automatic retaliation; the vice president would assume command and decide on any response.
  • Trump claimed on social media that Iran has threatened his life and that missiles are prepared for an attack, while Iran's supreme leader vowed revenge for a recent killing.

President Donald Trump has indicated that he has issued standing orders for the U.S. military to retaliate against Iran with overwhelming force if Tehran attempts to assassinate him. Trump stated on his social media platform that Iran has made threats to kill him, and that "1,000 missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat."

1,000 missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat.

— Donald TrumpPresident Trump's statement on social media regarding potential Iranian threats.

However, U.S. government protocols do not include an automatic "dead man's switch" for immediate retaliation. According to The Associated Press, if Trump were killed, the transfer of power would fall to Vice President JD Vance, who would then become commander in chief and have the authority to decide on any retaliatory actions. Vance could choose to follow Trump's orders, or he could opt for a different response.

Garrett M. Graff, author of "Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself -- While the Rest of Us Die," noted that the U.S. has never used such a technical "dead man's switch." While extensive contingency plans exist for continuity of government during major catastrophes, they do not permit immediate retaliatory strikes upon a president's death, even if the president had demanded such readiness.

The US has, for a whole variety of reasons, never utilized a technical ‘dead man’s switch.'

— Garrett M. GraffAuthor commenting on the lack of automatic retaliation mechanisms in U.S. government plans.

In response to Trump's statements, Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, stated that Iranians would continue to avenge the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, who died in late February. "This revenge is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out," he said, according to remarks aired on state television. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Israel had alerted U.S. officials to alleged Iranian plots to kill Trump.

This revenge is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out.

— Mojtaba KhameneiIran's supreme leader vowing to avenge the killing of his father.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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