Trump, in his less diplomatic style, has repeated Biden’s warning, albeit in much more colorful language. He told reporters in the Oval Office in February that he had “left instructions” for what should happen if he is murdered by Iran. “If they do it, they get obliterated,” the president said. “There will be nothing left.”

President Trump has ratcheted up his rhetorical battle over recent US airstrikes in Iran by having an attorney send legal letters to CNN and The New York Times demanding retractions of accurate reports.

President Donald Trump’s lawyers sent letters to the New York Times and CNN threatening to sue them for reporting leaked intelligence that suggested his strikes on Iran did not destroy the regime’s nuclear facilities.