WASHINGTON – Iran has made it “clear” it intends to assassinate former President Donald Trump and members of his administration, as well as the current Biden administration, in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general and other hardline policies, U.S. officials say. I made it. said lawmakers Wednesday.
The comments came after President Trump made the dramatic revelation Tuesday night that he had been briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about the Iranian government’s “real and concrete threat” against him.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there were “indications” that Iran was involved in two alleged assassination plots against President Trump, including the bloody incident in Pennsylvania. ” was not seen. Campaign meeting in July.
“But I also think there is clear evidence that Iran has made it clear that it intends to try to assassinate the former president if possible,” Rounds said. In leadership. ”
National Security Council spokesman Sean Savet acknowledged the Iranian threat.
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“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former President Trump and former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the previous administration,” Savet said in a statement to USA TODAY. said. “These threats stem from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the murder of Qasem Soleimani,” said the Iranian general, who was killed in a 2020 drone strike ordered by then-President Trump.
Iran denies attempting to assassinate U.S. officials, but the Justice Department has launched numerous investigations and prosecutions into such efforts, including a plot against former Trump national security adviser John Bolton. has started. U.S. officials have publicly warned of Iran’s desire for revenge since shortly after Soleimani’s killing.
Trump himself acknowledged continued concerns Wednesday in a post about X that had garnered 19.9 million views by midday.
“A major threat to my life from Iran. The entire U.S. military is watching and waiting. Iran has already taken action and was unsuccessful, but will try again,” Trump wrote. “It’s not a good situation for anyone. I’m surrounded by more people, more guns, more weapons than I’ve ever seen.”
In his post, President Trump thanked Congress for “unanimously approving significant funding for the Secret Service” to protect him. “It’s nice to see Republicans and Democrats coming together on something,” he wrote. “An attack on a former president is a death wish for attackers!”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told USA TODAY: That’s not an exaggeration. ”
The warning was issued by the Justice Department, possibly in response to Soleimani’s death, in a suspected plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government official, without specifying the intended victims. It was issued six weeks after the person was indicted. And in July, CNN reported that the Secret Service had increased security for Trump over concerns about an Iranian plot.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) confirmed that he had met with President Trump, but did not provide details. Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan provided few details.
On Wednesday, it remained unclear what led to Trump’s meeting, what the former president was told, and whether new information reinforced long-standing concerns.
Trump campaign and ODNI officials had no further comment Wednesday.
However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News on Wednesday morning that the government “continues to threaten Iran’s threats against numerous senior officials, including former government officials like President Trump and some people currently serving in the administration.” ”, he said.
Rubio cited a video posted by the Iranian regime in January 2022 depicting the assassination of Trump on a golf course in retaliation, and said, “Iran’s desire and plan to assassinate Donald Trump is the single greatest attack in U.S. history.” “This is a serious foreign threat.” for the murder of Soleimani.
He called it “probably the most significant example of election interference we’ve ever seen.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, did not directly respond to a question about whether ODNI had briefed him on the information the Trump campaign said it had received. But he said his committee is being updated “regularly” by the FBI about Iranian threats against the former president.
“There are still many current and former officials in the Iranian regime seeking revenge for Mr. Soleimani’s death,” he said.
After President Trump was shot and wounded in the right ear at a campaign rally on July 13, the White House confirmed the broad outlines of another threat to Trump from Iran.
Contributors: David Jackson, Francesca Chambers, Tom Vanden Broek.