US media reveals Iran's alleged assassination plot against Trump

Rising military tensions between the United States and Iran have taken a new turn following reports that Israeli officials have passed intelligence to Washington about an alleged Iranian assassination scheme targeting President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal broke the story, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, though no further details about the intelligence channels or timeline were provided.

Trump a target since Soleimani killing

According to the report, Tehran has repeatedly voiced its intent to target Trump since the US drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, in January 2020. Public statements from Iranian officials and funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's associates have reportedly featured calls for retaliation against the US president, keeping Trump consistently in Tehran's crosshairs.

A pattern of threats and attempts

Trump has been the subject of multiple assassination attempts in recent years. On July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he sustained a wound to his right ear in a shooting incident. Two months later, on September 15, 2024, Secret Service agents intercepted an armed individual lying in wait near Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, thwarting what authorities described as a potential assassination effort. More recently, on April 25, 2026, a planned armed attack targeting the White House Correspondents' Association dinner—attended by Trump and his cabinet members—was prevented when Secret Service personnel apprehended the suspect.

Implications for regional stability

The reported plot adds another layer of complexity to the already volatile US-Iran relationship, with implications extending across the Middle East. Türkiye, which maintains diplomatic channels with both Washington and Tehran, continues to monitor developments closely, emphasising the importance of de-escalation and dialogue in preventing further regional instability.

Washington has not officially confirmed the intelligence report, but security measures around the president have been visibly heightened in recent days. The White House has declined to comment on operational security matters while stressing that any threat against the commander-in-chief would be met with an appropriate response.