The United States has confirmed that the leader of an Iranian unit accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump has been killed in a military operation.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the individual, who allegedly led efforts to target Trump, was “hunted down and killed” in an operation conducted from the air on Tuesday.
Hegseth did not disclose the name of the operative or the specific location of the strike but emphasized that the killing was not the primary objective of the mission.
“It was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “But if we had the opportunity to get at those who are trying to get at Americans specifically, we would.”
Alleged Iranian Plot
The development comes amid long-standing tensions between Washington and Tehran, particularly involving threats against Donald Trump.
According to the US Department of Justice, a man was allegedly tasked in 2024 with carrying out an Iranian-backed plot to kill Trump while he was still a presidential candidate. Authorities have not publicly linked the other two attempts targeting Trump — one in Butler, Pennsylvania, and another at his Florida golf course — to Iran.
In 2022, the Justice Department also unsealed charges related to a separate alleged Iranian plot to assassinate John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and a key architect of the administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
Heightened Security Measures
Reports previously indicated that credible threats from Iran prompted extraordinary security precautions around Trump, including the use of a decoy aircraft during campaign travel.
Trump has publicly referenced the alleged Iranian threat in recent remarks, telling ABC News that the United States “got” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “before he got me,” a comment widely interpreted as reflecting the deep personal and political tensions between the two sides.
Hegseth, however, framed the latest operation as part of broader efforts to protect Americans from foreign threats.
“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” he said.
The Iranian government has not immediately responded to the latest US claims.
