Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump says Iran has tried to kill him and ‘will try again’ after being briefed on US intelligence

Trump campaign says he has been briefed on ‘real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him’

Arpan Rai
Wednesday 25 September 2024 07:49 BST
Comments
Related video: Trump admits he might be ‘childish’ and have ‘personality defect’

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump says Iran has tried to have him assassinated and “will try again” after he was briefed by US intelligence officials on alleged threats from Tehran.

“Big threats on my life by Iran,” the Republican wrote on X. “The entire US Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again.

“Not a good situation for anyone,” he continued. “I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before. Thank you.”

Mr Trump’s campaign said on Tuesday night that he had been briefed by US intelligence officials.

“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilise and sow chaos in the United States," his 2024 presidential election campaign said in a statement.

US Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC
US Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN in New York did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters, but the country has previously denied US intelligence claims about its interference in America’s affairs.

The briefing with Mr Trump was confirmed by an ODNI spokesperson but they declined to discuss any specifics of the exchange.

Last week, US officials said Iranian hackers sent emails containing stolen material from Mr Trump’s campaign to people involved in Joe Biden’s then re-election campaign in what appears to be a broader effort by Iran to influence the US election.

This comes a few weeks after a Pakistan national, with alleged ties to Iran, pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an alleged plot to assassinate an American politician in response to the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

People burn a poster of Donald Trump to protest against the US authorities for the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq
People burn a poster of Donald Trump to protest against the US authorities for the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq (Getty Images)

The suspect named Mr Trump as a potential target but claimed he had not conceived the scheme as a plan to assassinate the former president, a person aware of the matter said.

Donald Trump wears a bandage on his ear after surviving an assassination attempt
Donald Trump wears a bandage on his ear after surviving an assassination attempt (Getty Images)

Another apparent assassination attempt on Mr Trump is being probed by the federal authorities after the Republican presidential leader was allegedly targeted in mid-September at his Florida golf course. Officials are also still investigating the 13 July shooting in which Mr Trump was injured while addressing a rally in Pennsylvania.

There have been no reports suggesting Iranian involvement in either of those incidents.

Last month, the US accused Iran of launching cyber operations against the campaigns of both US presidential candidates – an allegation denied by Iran.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in