American Intelligence agencies have revealed an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump in retaliation for the killing of Qassim Suleimani.
The plot was uncovered before the shooting attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This development led to the Secret Service increasing security around the former president.
Qasem Soleimani, a commander of the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a US airstrike at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020 under Trump’s administration.
This event has led to ongoing threats against Trump and his former administration officials, Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council told CNN.
Watson stated, “We have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration. These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassim Suleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
Despite the threats, Watson noted that the attempted assassination of Trump on Saturday was not connected to the Iranian plot.
“The investigation of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Trump is active and ongoing,” Watson said.
“At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.”
Meanwhile, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations denied there is an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.
“These accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani. Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice,” a spokesperson for the mission told CNN.
Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani spoke on the alleged Iranian assassination plot.
When asked by CNN if the plot was in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing, which took place during the Trump administration, he replied:
“I told you explicitly that we would resort to legal and judicial procedures and frameworks at the domestic level and international level in order to bring the perpetrators and military advisers of General Soleimani’s assassination to justice,” Kani said.
