WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it killed an Iranian official who headed a unit behind an alleged assassination plot against President Donald Trump but that the target was not the initial focus of the war.
“The leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed. Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a news briefing.
“While that was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination – in fact, never raised by the President or anybody else – I ensured, and others ensured, that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list,” Hegseth told reporters.
Hegseth did not name the individual but said the operation took place on Tuesday.
In 2024, the U.S. Justice Department charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by the IRGC to assassinate Trump, then U.S. president-elect.
Tehran has denied accusations that it had targeted Trump and other U.S. officials.
Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu, editing by Michelle Nichols
