Israel has passed the United States intelligence indicating that Iran has recently drawn up a new plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump, according to two sources aware of the matter.
The claim comes as the ceasefire between Iran and the United States is on the verge of collapse and tensions between the two countries have risen again.
One of the sources said Israel sent the warning to Washington this week. Another said that over the past few weeks various intelligence had reached the United States about possible plans to kill Trump, and that the information provided by Israel was new and centred on a specific plot.
Several US officials, however, believe Israel may have brought the intelligence forward in order to influence Trump’s decision on whether to intensify military action against Iran. The details of the plot Israel described remain unclear. Two sources aware of the matter said the United States had not independently verified the information and had not been monitoring any such specific plot before Israel’s warning.
Still, ever since Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike ordered by Trump in 2020, Washington has feared that Iran might try to assassinate Trump in revenge.
Trump’s comments
Asked to comment on Israel’s warning, the White House pointed to Trump’s recent remarks. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters: “They want to kill me. I’m on all their lists. This morning I saw that my name is on every list. Maybe luck has been with me so far, but I don’t know how long that will last.”
The US president also said: “Iranians are dangerous people with a sick mentality. This cancer must be wiped out. You have to cut out cancer at the start — and that is my position too.”
Trump later said he had recently learned that a new Iranian list placed him as a top-priority assassination target, but did not make clear whether he was referring to the new intelligence provided by Israel.
Two sources aware of recent US intelligence said the agencies were watching several parties that had discussed an attack, though none had yet taken action. One said there were fears that several current and former senior US officials could also be potential targets.
According to that source, however, many see the Israeli report as part of a broader effort to influence Trump’s Iran policy; a section of the US intelligence community has always been cautious about Israeli intelligence.
Meanwhile, the funeral and mourning ceremonies for Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, went on throughout last week. At each of them, huge crowds chanted demands for Trump’s death, calling for the destruction of the United States.
Talks continue behind the scenes
On Thursday, a US official said that despite the military tensions and Trump’s declaration that the “memorandum of understanding with Iran is over,” diplomatic talks were continuing behind the scenes.
Washington and Tehran are working toward a new nuclear deal by the middle of August. Several officials said the United States had prepared for a strike on Thursday night as well, but ultimately held off, prioritising diplomacy.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report