US kills Iranian in Trump assassination plot: Pentagon

The Pentagon announced that the US military killed an Iranian official who headed the unit behind the alleged assassination plot against US President Donald Trump.

The announcement that the unnamed Iranian official was killed came during an operational update of the four-day war with Iran at the Pentagon.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the killing, which he said took place on Tuesday, although the Iranian official emphasized that it was not the initial focus of the war.

“The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate President Trump was captured and killed. Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump had the last laugh,” Hegseth told reporters.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot in which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ordered the assassination of Trump, then the incoming president of the United States.

Officials in Tehran have denied accusations that they targeted Trump and other US officials.

“I caught him before he caught me,” Trump told ABC News, referring to Iran’s alleged plot while speaking about the joint US-Israeli operation that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday.

But Hegseth said Trump never mentioned the effort to find the leader of the Iranian unit behind the plot as a priority for the Pentagon.

“While this has not been the focus of efforts by any stretch of the imagination — in fact, it has never been raised by the president or anyone else — I and others have ensured that those responsible for this will eventually become part of the target list,” Hegseth told reporters.