WASHINGTON − Former President Donald Trump received a briefing on Tuesday from U.S. intelligence officials regarding the “serious and specific threats” from Iran, including alleged efforts to assassinate him, according to his campaign.

This intelligence update comes six weeks after the Justice Department charged a Pakistani individual connected to Iran with murder-for-hire in connection with a plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government official, likely linked to the Trump administration’s 2020 decision to eliminate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

A representative from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) confirmed the briefing but refrained from discussing further details. A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign provided limited information to YSL News.

Officials in Iran have previously denied any role in attacks against Trump. Additionally, federal authorities have stated that they have not found evidence indicating that any foreign government was involved in recent assassination attempts against Trump, one in Pennsylvania on July 13 and another in Florida on September 15.

“President Trump was informed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence today about genuine and specific threats from Iran aimed at assassinating him to create instability and chaos in the United States,” stated the campaign.

“Official intelligence has noted that these ongoing coordinated attacks have intensified over recent months, and law enforcement from various agencies are collaborating to ensure President Trump’s safety and maintain an untainted election,” the campaign added.

Ongoing U.S. warnings about Iranian plots and election interference

For several months, U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Iran is attempting to interfere in the U.S. election to undermine Trump and bolster his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, due to Trump’s stringent stance towards Iran.

This campaign reportedly involves hacking the Trump campaign and attempting to leak sensitive internal documents, including detailed profiles of potential vice-presidential candidates, to various media companies, as stated by U.S. intelligence officials during briefings.

Recently, the FBI and other federal agencies disclosed that Iranian hackers sent unsolicited information taken from Trump’s campaign to associates of President Joe Biden’s then-campaign. According to officials, this approach was not pursued.

This current announcement follows a series of alerts from federal cybersecurity officials regarding Iran’s attempts to influence the upcoming election. They have also indicated that Russia is involved but aims to assist Trump and undermine Harris.

Another alleged assassination plot

In a previous alleged assassination plot, a federal criminal complaint unsealed on August 6 stated that Asif Merchant, 46, entered the U.S. around April and reached out to someone he believed could assist him with his plot.

However, that individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a confidential source for the investigation, according to the Department of Justice. Merchant allegedly mentioned targeting individuals who were detrimental to Pakistan and the Muslim community, stating they would not be “normal people,” as described in the complaint.

Federal authorities have clarified that there is no connection between Merchant’s case and the assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, nor with another alleged attempt earlier this month.

Ryan Routh has been indicted in that second case, facing charges for the attempted assassination of a political candidate alongside other allegations, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.

Routh, 58, was already under two gun-related charges after allegedly aiming a rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15 while Trump was present.

Iran targeting Trump administration officials for years, according to U.S. intelligence

For many years, Iran has been aiming at Trump administration officials as retaliation for the killing of Soleimani and other aggressive policies, which included the U.S. withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear agreement forged by Barack Obama, his predecessor.

In June 2023, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several members and associates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which were believed to have participated in plotting to murder former national security adviser John Bolton, along with other ex-U.S. officials and anti-Iran activists worldwide.

The sanctions from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control did not specify any names but mentioned that those sanctioned had taken part in multiple terrorist plots, including assassination attempts against former U.S. officials, dual citizens of the U.S. and Iran, and dissidents from Iran.

One individual targeted by the sanctions, Shahram Poursafi, a member of the Revolutionary Guard, was charged by the Justice Department last August for attempting to organize a murder-for-hire plot against Bolton starting in late 2021. A former senior U.S. official informed YSL News previously that other former Trump-era officials potentially targeted by Iran might include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Brian Hook, the previous U.S. Special Representative for Iran.

A former official, who requested anonymity when discussing security threats, stated in 2023 that he had been briefed by federal authorities regarding these concerns.

U.S. officials are alerting about the ongoing Iranian attempts to target and eliminate certain leaders from the Trump administration. Iran holds these individuals responsible for the 2020 military intervention in Baghdad that resulted in the death of Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran is planning an attack at a self-chosen time and location

In January 2020, then-President Trump stated that he authorized the military action against Soleimani due to his planning of “imminent and sinister attacks” aimed at American diplomats and military members. Following this, Iran’s leadership publicly declared their intent to retaliate whenever and wherever they chose.

“The U.S. remains dedicated to disrupting the schemes of the IRGC and its Qods Force, which have conducted various plots and acts of violence against those perceived as adversaries of the Iranian government,” said Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement regarding the 2023 sanctions.