President Trump stated he "acted first" against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to previous allegations of assassination plots targeting him.
In a conversation with ABC News on Sunday, President Trump said: “I got him before he got me. They tried twice. But I acted first.”
Iran had repeatedly threatened retaliation against President Trump following the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani. Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Iran was behind two failed assassination attempts against Trump in 2024 through proxy forces and intelligence networks.
According to criminal filings released in Manhattan federal court, an official from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly directed Farhad Shakeri to monitor and plan the murder of President Trump during the final stages of the 2024 campaign. Iran has denied allegations regarding plots to assassinate US officials.
Previously, a viral video from Iran simulated a drone attack targeting President Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Mar-a-Lago golf course, accompanied by the message “Revenge is Definite.”
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in a coordinated military operation between the US and Israel. Information about the operation was confirmed by both sides over the weekend.
In an interview with NewsNation in January, President Trump stated he had left “very clear instructions” that if Iran took any action against him, the US would respond forcefully.
