US Intelligence Warns Trump of Specific Assassination Threats Tied to Iran

US intelligence officials have briefed Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, regarding specific threats to his life, purportedly connected to Iran. This information was revealed amidst reports of two failed domestic assassination attempts targeting Trump within recent months. The briefings from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) focused on a plot suspected to be orchestrated by Iranian operatives.

In a statement issued by the Trump campaign, spokesperson Steven Cheung characterized the threats as “real and specific” and aimed at sowing chaos within the United States. Cheung added, “Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference.” The ODNI has confirmed that such a briefing took place.

Trump disclosed the briefing on his social media platform, Truth Social, warning of ongoing threats from Iran. He stated, “Big threats on my life by Iran. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again.” Trump further remarked that any attack on his life would be a “death wish” for the attacker, emphasizing increased security measures.

These developments come after a series of violent incidents, including an attempted assassination during a July rally in Pennsylvania, where a lone gunman, Thomas Crooks, was engaged in a shooting incident that resulted in his death by a Secret Service agent. Investigations revealed no broader conspiracy in that instance. In a separate event, an armed individual, Ryan Routh, was charged with attempted assassination after being apprehended near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The purported Iranian motivation for targeting Trump is believed to be rooted in a retaliatory stance over the US military’s January 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader. Iran has consistently denied involvement in the assassination plots against Trump. Nevertheless, tensions remain, especially as previous charges were brought against a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for attempting to orchestrate the murder of former US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, in what US officials described as an act of revenge for Soleimani’s death.