Iran denies plot against Trump, after U.S. reports unspecified threat

Iran on Wednesday denied any involvement in the recent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, while also rejecting allegations that it had any “intention for such an action.”

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Biden administration had informed the Secret Service of an unspecified threat to Trump from Iran before the July 13 campaign rally. U.S. officials said they believe the attack on the rally, where one attendee was killed and two were critically injured, and where Trump said he was shot in the ear, was unrelated to any Iranian effort.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action, considering such allegations to have malicious political motives and objectives.”

U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Iran may seek to avenge the death of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a U.S. drone strike authorized by Trump. The military action, Trump said after the strike, was intended to “stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.” Earlier in 2018, Trump had withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, imposing sanctions that debilitated the country’s economy.

In a statement to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday, Iran’s U.N. mission described Trump as a “criminal” who deserved to be prosecuted for Soleimani’s killing. “Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice,” the statement said. In January, the Tehran Times reported that Iran was planning to petition the International Court of Justice over Soleimani’s assassination.

“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Tuesday.

She added, “We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”

The Secret Service enhanced its protections for Trump in light of the Iran-related threat alert, said a national security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss security decisions. CNN first reported that the United States had “intelligence from a human source” about an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

Authorities are still searching for clues as to why 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., opened fire at the rally on Saturday.