In July 2025, video footage claimed to show an Iranian official saying U.S. President Donald Trump can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago because a drone might strike him in the belly. Per various posts on X and Facebook, politician Mohammad-Javad Larijani, former adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, allegedly said on Iranian television:
Trump has done something [so] that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago. As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple [...]
Larijani did make this statement. We confirmed the translation via a number of independent sources, as well as news media reports. Furthermore, Fox News even presented the quote to Trump, who gave a public response. As such, we rate this claim as a correct attribution.
We have reached out to Larijani to learn more about his intention behind the statement and will update this post accordingly.
The quote came from a June 21 interview Larijani gave on IRINN TV, Iranian state television. Per Iran International, a London-based Iranian media network, Larijani said, "Trump has done something so that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago [...] As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple." Larijani was referring to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Three independent Farsi-speaking sources confirmed the translation of the quote for Snopes. Per one translation we received:
These 'small birds,' [drones/micro air vehicles (MAVs)] are they a technology only they have? In my view, Mr. Trump has done something, [so] that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago because others know this work [of drones]. When his stomach is facing the sun, a drone can hit his navel. It's very simple. The calamity they have brought upon world safety will take them by their scruff. But we fight as men.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shared a longer version of the clip with a translation. After saying, "But we fight as men," Larijani added, "MAVs and the likes are for cowards," implying that Iran would not actually use such a tactic.
We should note that MEMRI was founded by a former Israeli intelligence officer and has been called a "propaganda machine" by many critics who say it publishes selective translations from Arabic and Farsi media.
However, given that we managed to confirm the exact words via a number of independent Farsi-speaking sources, the above quote was still authentic. Furthermore, Trump responded to Larijani's statement during a July 9 press conference.
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy read the quote aloud to Trump, who replied that he hadn't sunbathed in a long time:
DOOCY: And now a few weeks after the strikes that you ordered on the nuclear facilities in Iran, there is an Iranian official who says you, President Trump, 'have done something that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago. As you lie there with your stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit you in the navel. It's very simple.' Do you think that's a real threat? And when is the last time you went sunbathing anyway?
TRUMP: It's been a long time. I don't know. Maybe I was around seven or so. I'm not too big into it. Yeah, I guess it's a threat, I'm not sure it's a threat actually, but perhaps it is.
The exchange took place at the 34:13 mark, per this video from the White House:
Iran International described Larijani as a "former senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader." Per his profile on the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Larijani is a "conservative politician, mathematical logician, and former diplomat." He was also described as "a senior adviser to the head of the Judiciary and secretary general of the High Council for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Larijani is also the director of the Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics.
Larijani's statement came after rising tensions between Israel and Iran. In mid-June, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, sparking a barrage of missile attacks from Iran into Israel. On June 21, the U.S. launched a number of attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. In July, Israeli officials concluded that some of Iran's enriched uranium survived both the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
Snopes has often fact-checked quotes and video footage attributed to Iranian television.