U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has issued what he described as “very firm instructions” to respond decisively if Iran attempts to carry out assassination threats against him.

Axar.az reports that speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” to mark the anniversary of his second-term inauguration, Trump warned that any such action would trigger a sweeping U.S. response targeting Iran as a whole.

“If anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump said in remarks aired during the program. He added that the United States would retaliate forcefully, stating, “I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions.”

Trump’s comments come amid longstanding tensions between Washington and Tehran, including repeated allegations by U.S. officials that Iran has plotted against current and former American leaders. Iranian authorities have previously denied such claims.

The White House has not released further details regarding the nature of the instructions referenced by the president.