Iran unveiled a massive billboard and a series of banners threatening to kill US President Donald Trump across Tehran on Tuesday, marking a further escalation in the official anti-American rhetoric displayed in the capital.
“We will kill Trump,” read a billboard towering over the busy Enghelab Square, depicting the US president behind bars with his head bowed.
Since the war began on February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, authorities have repeatedly installed new billboards and public displays mocking Trump and vowing revenge.
The latest displays come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Washington to the negotiating table and prevent a resumption of hostilities. The conflict has spread across the region, disrupting economic activities and driving up prices globally.
Trump, who faces crucial US midterm elections on Tuesday amid growing voter discontent, partly fuelled by the war with Iran, has expressed optimism about a possible diplomatic breakthrough, saying a deal “could happen”.
In Tehran’s busy Tajrish Square, an open-air exhibition featured several paintings mocking the US president. One depicted Trump lying bloodied on the ground, with a foot pressing down on his head.
Another showed a bomb obscuring his face, apparently referencing Belgian surrealist René Magritte’s 1964 painting, The Son of Man.
Nearby, a life-sized replica of a prison cell remained on display, with an actor impersonating Trump spending the day inside. An adjacent screen displayed images of destruction caused by US strikes on Iran.
Tehran has accused Trump of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure during the conflict, including a school and a wedding ceremony, killing dozens of people, among them women and children.
State-sponsored billboards, murals and public displays have been a prominent feature of Iran’s public spaces since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They are routinely used to honour allies, celebrate military figures and project political messages against perceived adversaries, particularly the United States and Israel.
AFP
