According to US media reports, the Iranian plan to target a Republican presidential candidate has no connection with the attack in Pennsylvania.
Iran has angrily rejected US media reports that it is plotting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday that Iran rejects “malicious” allegations that it planned an attack on the Republican presidential candidate. However, Nasser Kanaani said Iran intends to prosecute Trump for ordering the assassination of a senior military official in 2020.
Citing unnamed US officials, CNN reported on Tuesday that US authorities had recently been informed of an Iranian threat against Trump’s life. This led the US intelligence service to increase security for the former president.
However, this did not prevent attack on Trump at rally on SaturdayThe US report said the Iranian threat was not linked to the Pennsylvania shooting, which was allegedly carried out by a 20-year-old lone gunman.
Kanaani said Iran “firmly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or any allegations regarding Iran’s intention to commit such an action, considering that such allegations have malicious political motives and objectives.”
Iran, however, remains determined to “pursue Trump” for his role in ordering the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, he insisted.
“Security is a matter of the highest priority”
U.S. officials have long been on alert for possible Iranian retaliation for Soleimani’s killing. Tehran has promised “a harsh revenge.”
There are concerns that the targets could include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security advisers John Bolton and Robert O’Brien, all of whom retained security details after leaving the government, CNN reported.
The initial report that Trump’s security had been stepped up in recent weeks after intelligence agencies received information about a potential Iranian plot to kill him did not cite sources.
However, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson later issued a statement confirming that intelligence regarding an Iranian threat to Trump is “a national and domestic security matter of the highest priority.”
She also confirmed that the investigation into the Pennsylvania attack “has not identified any links between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.”
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agencies “constantly receive new information about potential threats and take steps to adjust resources as needed.”
“We cannot comment on a specific threat stream, other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly,” he added in a statement.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for combating terrorism and ensuring border security, has not responded to the alleged threat.
The Iran report comes as U.S. intelligence is under scrutiny over the Butler County shooting, with questions over how a gunman was able to open fire on Trump from an exposed rooftop about 500 feet (150 meters) away.
US President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the agency’s handling of the incident.
