Iran's acting Foreign Minister has denied allegations of an Iranian plan to assassinate former US President Donald Trump just days after an assassin shot him during a campaign rally.
Recent human source intelligence obtained by US authorities indicated a potential threat from Iran against Trump. However, there is no evidence linking Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate the former president on Saturday, to the alleged plot.
Ali Bagheri-Kani admitted that Iran is still seeking justice for the assassination of IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani, killed in a drone strike in Iraq ordered by Trump in 2020, through legal channels.
"I told you explicitly that we would resort to legal and judicial procedures and frameworks at the domestic level and international level in order to bring the perpetrators and military advisers of General Soleimani’s assassination to justice," he told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.
Iranian authorities, both political and military, have continued to issue threats against Trump and his administration to avenge the death of Soleimani, responsible for Iran's proxies across the region. For example, in February 2023, Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force directly stated that the Islamic Republic intends to kill Trump.
In January 2022, Iran's former President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge for Soleimani's killing unless former US President Donald Trump was put on trial.
"If Trump and (former Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo are not tried in a fair court for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani, Muslims will take our martyr's revenge," Raisi said in a televised speech.
Spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, also refuted the claims of Iran’s involvement in any recent armed attack on Trump. “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," Kanaani stated.
The Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations echoed the denials.
“These accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani. Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice,” a spokesperson for the mission told CNN.
In 2022, the US Justice Department announced charges against an IRGC member for allegedly plotting to assassinate John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, likely in retaliation for Soleimani's death.
Similar threats have been made against other former Trump administration officials, including Mike Pompeo and Robert O'Brien, who have maintained security details due to ongoing risks.
Soleimani was instrumental in Iran's external military and intelligence operations involved in hostilities against US forces in the region.
Despite Iran's denials, the security concerns for those involved in the decision to kill Soleimani remain significant, with ongoing protection measures in place.