The US and Iran have once again resumed fighting days after Tehran attacked commercial ships transiting the . As the fighting escalates, Israel on Thursday (local time) shared a new intelligence report with the US, warning that Iran recently devised a plan to assassinate US President .
CNN, citing one of the sources, said that the warning came earlier this week, while US officials said that the report could be an attempt on Tel Aviv’s part to influence Trump’s decision-making as he considers whether to intensify attacks against Iran.
Is Israel swaying the US with latest report?
The report added that ‘s latest intelligence is viewed, at least in part, as part of a wider effort by the Tel Aviv government to influence the US President’s decision-making on Tehran. The source also said some within the US intelligence community remain cautious about Israeli intelligence assessments.
Earlier in June, The Washington Post reported that US intelligence agencies warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister would take steps to undermine the US President’s efforts to reach a lasting peace deal with Tehran.
Previously, Netanyahu had expressed deep concerns about Trump’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran, a move that had cost him his friendly relations with the . The ties between the two leaders have also been strained after Trump yelled at Netanyahu for Israel’s military action in Lebanon, which complicated the US-Iran peace talks.
Iran plans to kill Trump?
The details of the assassination plot that Tel Aviv warned about were not immediately clear, with US officials stating that Washington had not vetted the intelligence itself, nor had it been tracking it before Israel’s warning.
US intelligence had been receiving a steady stream of reports over the last few weeks that suggested Tehran’s plans to assassinate ; however, the latest warning from Tel Aviv pointed to a specific plan.
The US government has long warned that Tehran may try to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike that killed , a top Iranian general.
Additionally, two sources familiar with the latest US intelligence said that several actors are being tracked who have discussed attacks but haven’t taken any action so far. The US intelligence agencies are also concerned that Tehran could target several current and former officials.
Trump’s remarks on Iran’s plan to kill him
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (local time), Trump said, “They want to take out the US leader — me,” and added, “I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people. And we have to root out that cancer. That cancer. You know what you do? You’ve got to cut out cancer early. And that’s the way I feel.”
Later, the US President said that he had learned of a new list on which he was ranked as Iran’s top assassination target. However, it remains unclear whether he was referring to the latest Israeli intelligence report.
US-Iran tensions escalate
Earlier this week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps () attacked several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an arterial waterway that has been a sticking point in negotiations between the US and Iran. Prior to the US-Israel strikes on Iran, a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments transited the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut down since the conflict began in late February. In response to the attacks, Trump on Wednesday announced that the ceasefire was over, with the US military launching airstrikes on Tehran that killed at least 17 people. In response, the Islamic Republic targeted Washington’s allies in the region, including Bahrain, and Qatar.
While a US official said that technical talks with Tehran will continue, several others noted that preparations had been underway for potential strikes, if needed, on Thursday night (local time).
- The US and Iran are engaged in escalating military actions, jeopardizing peace efforts.
- Israel’s intelligence reports might be used politically to sway US President Trump’s decisions against Iran.
- Cautious optimism remains as US officials continue technical talks with Tehran amidst rising tensions.
