US intelligence officials reportedly questioned the credibility of an alleged Iranian assassination.
Threat against President Donald Trump during his July trip to Turkiye for the NATO summit, even as the threat prompted heightened security measures.
According to The Washington Post, the intelligence was passed to the CIA by Israel. US analysts reportedly considered it unconvincing and communicated their doubts to Trump administration officials. One US official described the intelligence as “Israeli-derived, not US-generated” and assessed it as low confidence.
Despite those doubts, officials took additional precautions to protect Trump. The president was initially presented as traveling aboard Air Force One on July 8, but he was secretly transferred to an Air Force C-32A that transported him and a small group of aides to Britain.
The security concerns also influenced plans for Trump’s return journey. Officials decided against using the newly inaugurated aircraft gifted to him by Qatar for the first leg of the trip from Ankara. After a brief stop at RAF Mildenhall, Trump boarded the new aircraft for the remainder of his journey to Washington.
A US official said the president had faced multiple threats, including from Iran, and that every necessary measure had been taken to protect him. During a media gaggle aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked whether Iran posed a credible threat to Air Force One. He acknowledged that he faces threats regularly and added that if something happened to him, the reporters traveling with him would also be affected.
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