Roving Periscope: Iran denies plot to assassinate Donald Trump

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: Iran has rubbished claims in a section of the US media that it is planning to assassinate Donald Trump, who escaped a bid on his life in Pennsylvania on Saturday last week and was nominated on Tuesday as the Republican Party candidate against incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden before the November 5, 2024, presidential election.

The US Department of Homeland Security, which handles anti-terrorism and border security, has not reacted to the alleged threat.

Tehran called Trump a “criminal” who must face justice, the media reported on Wednesday.

The media reports claimed the US Secret Service has obtained increasing amounts of evidence suggesting that Iran is actively planning to assassinate the former US President before the November election.

Officials said the Biden administration has gathered information from various sources, including human intelligence, regarding threats from Tehran that are linked to potential acts of violence against Trump.

They noted that while these plans have been considered for years, recent intelligence suggests an escalation in Tehran’s efforts. They warned of possible attempts on Trump’s life in the coming weeks.

However, an Iranian spokesperson in the US strongly refuted the claims. “These accusations are baseless and biased. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who should be tried and punished in court for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani,” he said, and added, “Iran has chosen the legal path to hold him accountable.”

According to a CNN report, the US had received intelligence about an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump before Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, attempted to kill the former President at his rally in Pennsylvania over the last weekend.

Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service Chief of Communication, stated, “The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed.”

“We cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly.”

On Tuesday, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, “We have consistently briefed the public and the US Congress on the existence of these threats. We have repeatedly met at the highest levels of our government to develop and implement a comprehensive response to these threats.”

They have been “tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration.”
“We have invested extraordinary resources in developing additional information about these threats, disrupting individuals involved in these threats … and directly warning Iran,” she added.

Strongly reacting to the US reports about the alleged assassination plot, a foreign ministry spokesman said in Tehran on Wednesday that Iran rejects the “malicious” allegations. However, Nasser Kanaani asserted that Iran aims to prosecute Trump for ordering the assassination of a senior military official in 2020.

The US reports maintained that the Iranian threat was not connected to the shooting in Pennsylvania, which a lone 20-year-old gunman allegedly carried out.

Kanaani said that Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action, considering such allegations to have malicious political motives and objectives”.

Iran has long intended to retaliate against Trump for the 2020 killing of its top general, Qassem Soleimani. Tehran, which promised a “harsh revenge,” is, however, still determined to “prosecute Trump” for his alleged role in ordering the killing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in 2020, he insisted.

The US fears that the Iranian targets could include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-National Security Advisers John Bolton and Robert O’Brien, all of whom kept security details after leaving the government, reported CNN.

Watson confirmed that intelligence regarding an Iranian threat to Trump is “a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority,” and that the investigation into the attack in Pennsylvania “has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.”

The report about Iran comes as the US Secret Service faces intense scrutiny over the Butler County shooting, with questions over how a gunman was able to open fire at Trump from an exposed rooftop some 150 meters (500 feet) away.

US President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the agency’s handling of the incident.