John Jefferson
Donald Trump says Iran has tried to have him assassinated and “will try again” after he was briefed by US intelligence officials on alleged threats from Tehran.
“Big threats on my life by Iran,” the Republican wrote on X. “The entire US Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again.
“Not a good situation for anyone,” he continued. “I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before. Thank you.”
Mr Trump’s campaign said on Tuesday night that he had been briefed by US intelligence officials.
“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilise and sow chaos in the United States,” his 2024 presidential election campaign said in a statement.
Iran’s permanent mission to the UN in New York did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters, but the country has previously denied US intelligence claims about its interference in America’s affairs.
The briefing with Mr Trump was confirmed by an ODNI spokesperson but they declined to discuss any specifics of the exchange.
Last week, US officials said Iranian hackers sent emails containing stolen material from Mr Trump’s campaign to people involved in Joe Biden’s then re-election campaign in what appears to be a broader effort by Iran to influence the US election.
This comes a few weeks after a Pakistan national, with alleged ties to Iran, pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an alleged plot to assassinate an American politician in response to the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
The suspect named Mr Trump as a potential target but claimed he had not conceived the scheme as a plan to assassinate the former president, a person aware of the matter said.
Another apparent assassination attempt on Mr Trump is being probed by the federal authorities after the Republican presidential leader was allegedly targeted in mid-September at his Florida golf course. Officials are also still investigating the 13 July shooting in which Mr Trump was injured while addressing a rally in Pennsylvania.
There have been no reports suggesting Iranian involvement in either of those incidents.
Last month, the US accused Iran of launching cyber operations against the campaigns of both US presidential candidates – an allegation denied by Iran.
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