Israeli officials have provided the United States with new intelligence indicating that Iran is developing another plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter, raising the possibility of a further escalation in the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened to retaliate against Trump for ordering the 2020 airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the powerful commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment on the intelligence, noted The Wall Street Journal. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House referred questions to remarks Trump made earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey, Trump acknowledged that he remains a target of the Iranian government.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader—me,” he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
The warning comes as tensions have grown between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over how to handle the conflict with Iran. Netanyahu has favored continued military pressure in pursuit of additional objectives, while Trump has sought to bring the fighting to an end, citing the danger of a prolonged war and its potential effect on the global economy.
The United States reached a tentative ceasefire agreement with Iran last month.
Trump and Netanyahu spoke Thursday. Netanyahu’s office said the leaders agreed to continue coordinating their countries’ actions and that Trump briefed the Israeli prime minister on recent U.S. operations in the Gulf.
Iranian hostility toward Trump has remained public and explicit. During the funeral for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, mourners chanted for Trump’s death and displayed a banner declaring, “We Will Kill Trump.”
Trump and Netanyahu communicated frequently during the opening stages of the Iran conflict, with the Israeli leader reportedly sharing intelligence assessments and information about potential targets during late-night telephone calls. Their relationship has since become increasingly strained as their strategic goals have diverged.
The latest intelligence underscores the continuing danger posed by Iran’s threats against Trump while adding another volatile element to the already tense relationship between the United States and Tehran.
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