Israel has shared intelligence with the United States indicating Iran recently devised a new plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to multiple US media reports citing people familiar with the matter, adding fresh strain to already deteriorating relations between Washington and Tehran.
Two sources told CNN the warning was delivered this week and, unlike a steady stream of general intelligence Washington has tracked for weeks about possible threats to Trump, referred to a specific alleged plot. US officials have not independently verified the intelligence and were not tracking the specific plot before Israel’s warning, sources said. Some US officials suggested the timing of Israel’s report could reflect an effort to influence Trump’s thinking as he weighs whether to escalate military action against Iran further.
The White House, asked for comment, pointed reporters to remarks Trump made Wednesday in Ankara, where he said Iran wants to eliminate him and that he currently appears on every related target list. Iran has long vowed retaliation against Trump for the 2020 US drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani.
The reports surfaced as tensions between the two countries sharply escalated this week, with the ceasefire that had held since April now in question following attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and renewed US strikes on Iranian targets. Crowds at the funeral of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the weekend chanted for revenge against Trump.
Trump reportedly departed Turkey aboard an older Air Force One rather than a newly refurbished jet, a switch the New York Times reported was made on Secret Service advice as a precaution, though officials said it was not linked to a specific threat.
Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, with no in-person meeting currently planned. Despite the exchange of threats and strikes, US officials said diplomatic efforts with Iran continue behind the scenes, with both sides still working toward a broader nuclear agreement by mid-August.
