US kills Iranian leader of Trump assassination plot, Pentagon says

War secretary says Iran tried to kill President Trump and he got the last laugh

The United States military ‌said on Wednesday that it killed an Iranian official who headed ‌a unit behind an alleged ⁠assassination ​plot against President Donald ​Trump but ‌that the target was not ​the initial focus of the war.

"The leader of the unit who attempted ⁠to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and ‌killed. Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh," War Secretary ⁠Pete Hegseth told ⁠a news briefing.

"While ​that was ‌not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination — in fact, never raised by the president or anybody else — I ensured, and others ensured, that ⁠those who were responsible for that were eventually part ⁠of the target list," Hegseth told reporters.

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Hegseth did not name the individual but said the operation took place on Tuesday.

In 2024, the US Justice Department charged an Iranian man in connection with an ⁠alleged plot ordered by ​the IRGC to assassinate Trump, then US president-elect.

Tehran has denied accusations that it had targeted Trump and other US officials.