Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jul 11: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had left instructions for a massive military response against Iran if Tehran were to succeed in any alleged plot to assassinate him, warning that the country would be bombed "at levels they have never seen before."

Speaking in an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he had remained on Iran's "kill list" for a long time. He also dismissed reports claiming Israeli intelligence had recently warned him about an alleged Iranian assassination plot.

"I've been on their list for a long time. That's what we're dealing with. The only thing is, I've left instructions -- if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before," Trump told the New York Post.

Rejecting reports of any fresh Israeli warning, Trump said, "No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no, I've been No. 1 [on Iran's kill list] for a long time, and it's the way life is, you know."

Trump's remarks came in the wake of the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and recent reports concerning an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the US President.

Khamenei was laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad early on Friday, 131 days after he was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes inside Iran.

Meanwhile, Trump also said the United States had agreed to continue talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, while reiterating that Washington considers the ceasefire between the two countries to be over.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

His remarks came as Qatari negotiators travelled to Iran in an effort to reduce tensions and revive US-Iran negotiations.