Strikes kill head of Iranian unit that plotted to assassinate Trump: Hegseth

Avery Lotz

Pete Hegseth — wearing a dark suit, a white collared shirt and a striped blue and red tie — looks on while Dan Caine speaks at a press conference. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and John Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a news conference in Arlington, Virginia, on March 2. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The leader of an Iranian unit that sought to assassinate President Trump was "hunted down and killed," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.

The big picture: The plot to target then-candidate Trump has seemingly fueled his ire toward Tehran, with him recently telling ABC News that the U.S. "got" Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "before he got me."

Driving the news: Hegseth said that killing the leader was "not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination," but "if we had the opportunity to get at those who are trying to get at Americans specifically, we would."

The opportunity arose "from the air," he said. He did not name the individual killed but said the operation took place Tuesday.
"Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh."

Catch up quick: The Justice Department alleged a man in 2024 was tasked with carrying out the Iranian plot to kill Trump.

Neither of the other two attempts targeting Trump — in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at his Florida golf course — were linked to Iran.
Axios' Alex Isenstadt previously reported that Iran's threat to Trump led to extraordinary precautions by his team, including a decoy plane.
In 2022, the DOJ also unsealed charges in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser and a driving force behind the "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran.

Go deeper: New weapons and war power worries emerge in Iran conflict

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Strikes kill head of Iranian unit that plotted to assassinate Trump: Hegseth

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