A top Iranian official dropped a chilling hint that President Donald Trump’s global property empire could be a target in the escalating gulf crisis.
The adviser to Iran’s President posted a sinister link detailing 3 billion worth of properties owned by Trump including his Irish resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare.
Hesameddin Ashena shared the link to a Forbes magazine article on the president’s assets in the US, Britain and Ireland.
It sparked fears Trump’s empire could be considered a target in revenge for the attack which killed military commander Qassem Soleimani and raised fears of a new war in the middle east.
The list included the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the president was staying when he ordered the hit on Soleimani, as well as the Trump International Hotels in Washington and Las Vegas and his New York tower with its Fifth Avenue entrance.
Iran has already threatened to attack the White House itself.
Ashena declared yesterday that Tehran’s ‘sole problem is Trump’ rather than the American people – suggesting a direct attack on his personal interests.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice and Equality responded to a query stating it “does not comment on security matters.”
Local Clare councillor Bill Chambers said he was unaware of any security concerns in Doonbeg surrounding President Trump’s properties.
A spokesman at the Doonbeg resort said there was no one available to comment last night.
Tehran has sworn revenge for Soleimani’s death and announced it was abandoning its commitment not to pursue its nuclear weapons programme.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched alongside Soleimani’s coffin yesterday as tensions continued to rise.
Speaking to the crowds, the military commander’s daughter Zeinab declared that ‘families of U. S. soldiers in the Middle East will spend their days waiting for the death of their children’.
Trump has threatened his own retaliation if Iran hits US targets, warning of a ‘disproportionate response’ including cultural sites.
Yesterday the president vowed in a capital-letters tweet that ‘IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON’.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif taunted Trump by tweeeting about the ‘sea of humanity’ at Soleimani’s funeral;
Trump has said he will target 52 cultural sites in Iran in response to any revenge attacks.
Presidential adviser Ashena tweeted: ‘We have ZERO problems with the American people. We even achieved deals with previous US administrations, Our sole problem is Trump. In the event of war, it is he who will bear full responsibility.’
The list of properties on the article he shared included Trump Tower as well as other New York City residences including Trump Parc East.
Elsewhere in America, the properties include hotels in Washington, Chicago and Las Vegas as well as a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Mar-a-Lago estate where Trump spent the Christmas holidays is also on the list, along with golf courses in Britain and Ireland.
The location of the properties are well known, but the post by the senior Iranian adviser was being interpreted as a hint of a possible strike against Trump’s real estate empire.
Esmail Qaani, who has succeeded Soleimani as commander of the Revolutionary Quards’ powerful Quds Force, also swore revenge in an interview with state TV which was aired today.
‘God the almighty has promised to get his revenge, and God is the main avenger. Certainly actions will be taken,’ he said.
‘We promise to continue down martyr Soleimani’s path as firmly as before with help of God, and in return for his martyrdom we aim to get rid of America from the region.’
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has expressed concerns about the escalating tensions in the middle east.
