Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump still believes Iran presents a clear threat to the United States as the President prepares strikes.

‘Iran chants “death to America.” You tell me if that’s a threat,’ Leavitt told reporters Tuesday outside the White House.

Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and son–in–law Jared Kushner are slated to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday in Geneva. 

But talks to avert all-out war with the Islamic regime are rapidly deteriorating as Trump ramps up threats in an effort to bend Iran into agreeing a deal to end its nuclear program.

The President trashed reports Monday that he is planning ‘fake limited strikes’ against Iran amid reports the US is running low on missile stockpiles.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine reportedly warned Trump that US troops would be ‘sitting ducks’ as arms had been depleted in bolstering Ukraine and Israel.

Trump dismissed the ‘fake news’ and said ‘Razin’ Caine and he were in agreement that the US should avoid war with Iran but that it would be ‘easily won’ if necessary.  

Caine warned the President that the mission is now fraught with significant risk to American lives, sources claimed.

Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump still believes Iran presents a clear threat to the United States as the President prepares strikes

Trump gestures as he waits for the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses to the public on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution according to Iranian state television in Tehran, Iran on February 9

Conversations from inside the White House reveal that Caine went head–to–head with Trump and his top aides just days ago.

His warning was clear: America’s munitions are in low supply, thanks to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. With the U.S. defense shield spread thin, Caine cautioned that an Iran offensive is a gamble the military might not be equipped to win.

Caine isn’t just a decorated commander – he’s Trump’s right–hand man in the Situation Room. As the President’s most trusted military advisor, his word carries immense weight in the Oval Office.

Trump’s secret weapon in the Iran crisis is a ‘small brain trust’ of elite strategists, a US official told Axios. This select group is currently drafting a tactical playbook that will allow the President to strike at a time of his choosing – ensuring he holds all the cards while keeping American forces out of the line of fire.

Two sources explain that while Caine gave the Venezuela operation the green light, he is taking a much more hesitant approach to Iran, with one source even describing Caine as a ‘reluctant warrior.’

They said that despite his hesitancy, Caine would ultimately agree to whatever the president wanted. He has reportedly been the only military leader to brief Trump in recent weeks on this matter.

‘General Caine is a talented and highly–valued member of President Trump’s national security team. The President listens to a host of opinions on any given issue and decides based on what is best for US national security,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a written statement.

Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and son–in–law Jared Kushner are planning to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday in Geneva.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly paralyzed by indecision. Sources say the nation’s top diplomat is sitting on the fence when it comes to Iran, spending a large portion of his time tackling Venezuela and Cuba.

One option Trump is said to be considering is the assassination of the son of Iran’s supreme leader as brave protesters have marched again in Tehran, chanting ‘death to Ayatollah’ over the weekend.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 55–year–old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is his father’s most likely successor due to close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – a powerful branch of the armed forces designated a terrorist group by the US .

While Trump’s reported assassination threat looms from above , students at the Sharif University of Technology are back on the streets and were chanting ‘death to Khamenei’ and ‘shameless, shameless’ last Saturday, anti–government media site Iran International said.

Protests began against the Ayatollah’s regime over economic grievances in December 2025 but were violently suppressed, with some estimates saying 30,000 demonstrators were killed by pro–government security forces.

More conservative estimates from the US–based Human Rights Activists News Agency say at least 6,876 people have been killed, alongside 50,000 arrests.

The US Navy ‘armada’ has been gathering on Iranian shores in the Persian Gulf as Trump supported the protesters, saying ‘help is on its way’ on January 22, with more than a third of American personnel now actively deployed in the region.

The White House has been considering launching ‘limited’ military strikes since last Friday to force them to the negotiating table and curb their nuclear programme.

If these negotiations should fail, the assassination of Mojtaba and his father is one option being considered by the president, aiming at wholesale regime change.