The United States received a warning from a Western intelligence agency about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump during his recent visit to Turkey for a NATO summit. According to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, senior Iranian officials reportedly viewed the summit in Ankara as a potential opportunity to target the U.S. president.
Following the intelligence, U.S. authorities altered Trump's travel plans at the last minute, switching his aircraft from the new Air Force One to an older model. The New York Times reported that a key factor in this decision was the Secret Service's concern that the newer aircraft, a donation from Qatar, might not possess all the necessary safety and operational features of the established presidential plane. During takeoff, reporters were instructed to keep window shades closed in the press cabin without explanation.
President Trump himself alluded to perceived threats from Iran during a press conference at the NATO summit. "They [Iran] want to take out the US leader - me. I'm on every list," Trump stated. He added, "I'm on every single one of their lists, and so far I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long, because that's the way it goes."
The report of the alleged plot emerges amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, particularly concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Both nations have asserted control over the vital waterway, which has been the site of recent attacks that have disrupted shipping and threatened diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts in the Middle East. The U.S. military's Central Command stated that its forces conducted strikes on numerous Iranian sites, including air defense systems and radar installations, asserting that "Iran does not control" the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, however, rejected these claims, stating, "The Strait of Hormuz is our territory."