Trump security boosted weeks ago due to 'Iran plot'

What happened

U.S. intelligence agencies have been tracking an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump in recent weeks, leading to increased Secret Service protections prior to this past weekend's attack on the Republican presidential candidate. The shooting at a Pennsylvania rally is not believed to be connected. 

Who said what

Details of the potential Iranian operation were obtained through "human source intelligence," a national security official said to CBS. This threat of an attack by a hostile foreign intelligence agency "raises new questions about the security lapses" at Saturday's rally in Butler, said CNN, which first reported on the Iranian plot. The Secret Service has "come under scrutiny" following the shooting, Reuters said. 

Intelligence agencies have "been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement. "These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani," the commander of Iran's Quds force, who died in a drone strike ordered by Trump in 2020.

The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations denied the assassination plot allegations, calling them "unsubstantiated and malicious" in a statement to CNN. 

What next?

"Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law" for his role in ordering the death of Soleimani, the Permanent Mission said. "Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up