The Iranian regime has been plotting to assassinate former President Trump as part of its ongoing retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian terrorist Qassem Soleimani. This plot is just one instance in a broader pattern of Tehran's attempts to target American officials and Iranian American dissidents.
According to Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security received intelligence from a human source about the planned assassination.
The assassination plot aims to avenge the death of Soleimani, who was responsible for the deaths of over 600 American military personnel in the Middle East. The Iranian regime has also targeted former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Despite the planned assassination of Trump, the Iranian plot is not connected to a previous attempt on his life by Thomas Crooks in Pennsylvania. In 2022, an Iranian-produced animation video depicting Trump's assassination was published on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s official website. Iran has used various methods, including lone-wolf radicals and transnational criminal syndicates, to carry out acts of terror and assassination over the years.
In 2021, Iran attempted to kidnap and murder Iranian American dissident Masih Alinejad. In 2023, U.S. Federal prosecutors charged three organized crime members linked to Iran’s regime with plotting to kill Alinejad. Former U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook is also on Iran’s assassination list.
The Iranian regime has intensified attempts to murder Americans in 2023, including targeting General Kenneth McKenzie, former commander of the United States Central Command. General Amirali Hajizadeh publicly stated that Iran aims to kill Trump, Pompeo, McKenzie, and other military commanders involved in Soleimani's assassination.
In 2009, Iran sent operatives to the U.S. to assassinate U.S. national Jamshid Sharmahd, who was later kidnapped in the UAE and sentenced to death on trumped-up charges. UANI representatives have criticized the U.S. for not robustly addressing these assassination plots, which have gone largely unpunished aside from strongly worded press statements, symbolic sanctions, and indictments.
Iran denied involvement in plotting to kill Trump, calling the claims "politically motivated." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani stated that Iran is determined to prosecute Trump for Soleimani’s assassination.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the Islamic Republic has used everything from lone-wolf radicals to terror proxies and transnational criminal syndicates for acts of terror and assassination across four continents over the past four decades.
"Rather than be made to pay a price for its evolving support for terrorism over the years, Tehran has learned that terrorism allows it a deniable military option that most states will ignore or treat as a law-enforcement matter," Taleblu said.
UANI representatives have urged the U.S. to take stronger actions against Tehran. They have called for the U.S. to rescind the visa of Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is visiting New York for UN meetings. UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and Senior Advisor Norman Roule expressed their views in a joint statement.
UANI has been warning for years about eroded American deterrence against Iran’s regime. That the Islamic Republic reportedly feels comfortable enough to plot to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee and a former U.S. president on American soil is shocking but not surprising.
The Iranian regime's plot to assassinate former President Trump is a stark reminder of Tehran's ongoing threats against American officials and dissidents. With a history of assassination plots and acts of terrorism spanning four continents, Iran continues to pose a significant threat to U.S. national security. The U.S. government has been urged to take stronger actions to deter these threats and protect its citizens. Despite Iran's denial of involvement in the assassination plot, the danger remains real and underscores the need for a robust response. The international community must also address these threats to ensure global security and stability.
