Following US warnings that targeting an American official would constitute an act of war, reports indicate Iran provided written assurances to the US before the election, denying any plans to assassinate then President-elect Donald Trump.
Multiple US media outlets reported on Friday that Iran delivered this message in mid-October, aiming to ease escalating tensions in response to a September warning from Washington. CBS News previously reported that the US administration had informed Iran that assassinating a former US president or official would be considered “an act of war” by the Biden administration.
Trump, known for his hardline stance on Iran, withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed stringent economic sanctions. In 2020, he authorized a strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, a highly influential figure in Iran.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) noted that Iran’s assurance lacked a specific official signature. The paper added that Iran maintained that the president-elect had committed a “crime” by ordering Soleimani’s assassination.
These reports follow the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s claim last week that Iranian officials solicited an Afghan national to “provide a plan” to kill Trump and assassinate US and Israeli citizens within the US. In August, the DOJ also alleged that Iran dispatched a Pakistani national to the US for assassinations, with the incoming president as a potential target. Iran has denied both allegations.
The president-elect survived two assassination attempts during the election cycle. In July, a bullet fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks at a rally in Pennsylvania grazed Trump’s ear.
Meanwhile, WSJ sources close to Iranian officials asserted that Tehran seeks to avoid conflict with the Trump administration. Although a previous WSJ report suggested the president-elect planned to reinstate a “maximum pressure” strategy targeting Iran’s oil revenue, the New York Times reported that Elon Musk, a close Trump confidant, recently held a secret meeting with Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid, to de-escalate tensions.