US media reports suggest that an Iranian plan to target a Republican presidential candidate is unrelated to an attack in Pennsylvania.
Iran has vehemently denied reports from the United States media claiming it has been plotting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump.
A foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday dismissed the “malicious” allegations that Iran was planning an attack on the Republican presidential hopeful. Nasser Kanaani, however, reiterated Iran’s intent to hold Trump accountable for the 2020 assassination of a senior military official.
Citing unnamed US officials, CNN reported on Tuesday that US authorities had recently uncovered an Iranian threat against Trump, prompting US secret services to increase the former president’s security.
Nonetheless, this did not prevent the attack on Trump at a rally on Saturday. US reports indicate that the Iranian threat was not linked to the shooting in Pennsylvania, which is believed to have been carried out by a lone 20-year-old gunman.
Kanaani stated that Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action,” calling such allegations politically motivated.
Despite these denials, Iran remains determined to “prosecute Trump” for his role in the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Kanaani emphasized.
US authorities have consistently been on high alert for potential Iranian retaliation following Soleimani’s death, with Tehran promising “harsh revenge.” Possible targets include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security advisers John Bolton and Robert O’Brien, all of whom still have security details after leaving government positions, CNN reported.
The initial report regarding increased security for Trump after intelligence agencies obtained information on a potential Iranian plot to kill him did not disclose its sources.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed that intelligence about an Iranian threat to Trump is “a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
She also verified that the investigation into the Pennsylvania attack had not found connections between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, whether foreign or domestic.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi stated that 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,” he added.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees anti-terrorism and border security, has not responded to the alleged threat.
The report about Iran emerges as the US Secret Service faces significant scrutiny over the Butler County shooting, with questions about how a gunman was able to fire at Trump from an exposed rooftop roughly 150 meters (500 feet) away.
US President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the agency’s handling of the incident.