Assassination attempt on Trump: US Secret Service explains Iranian connection
Iran threatens former officials of the Trump administration (photo: Getty Images)
Iran poses a threat to several politicians within the Trump administration due to the 2020 assassination of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Bloomberg.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has noted that the current threat from Iran is part of a broader pattern of threats against former Trump administration officials, which emerged following the January 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump.
"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," said Adrienne Watson, the National Security Council spokesperson, on Tuesday.
According to one source, before the incident on Saturday, the White House contacted the Secret Service regarding a recent Iranian threat, and the agency shared this information with Trump's campaign team. Subsequently, the Secret Service increased resources and measures to protect the Republican candidate.
The US maintains security data on several former Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor. In 2022, the Department of Justice charged a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with allegedly plotting to assassinate Bolton.
That same year, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that Iran threatened to carry out terrorist operations inside the United States and elsewhere around the world. He stated that Iran would face serious consequences if it attacked anyone.
Assassination attempt on Donald Trump
On July 14, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, an assassination attempt was made on former US President Donald Trump. The assailant wounded the Republican candidate, and Trump was hospitalized, but his life was not in danger.
The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Police neutralized the attacker within minutes of the incident. So far, the investigation has found no connections to any domestic or foreign accomplices or conspirators.
Subsequently, CNN reported that in recent weeks, the US had received information about Iran's intentions to assassinate Trump and had increased security for the politician. In response, Iranian authorities called these allegations baseless.
For more details on the high-profile assassination attempt on Trump, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.
