A new intelligence report has warned that Iran may be plotting to assassinate top United States officials in retaliation for the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani two years ago.
The June 16 intelligence assessment from the National Counter Terrorism Center was released just two days before the President Joe Biden Announced his current Middle East tour according to yahoo news,
Biden on Wednesday began his first visit to the Middle East since taking office with a halt in Israel, where Iran’s nuclear ambitions were expected to be a top item on the agenda.
According to intelligence reports, Iran has identified the former president Donald Trumpformer state secretary Mike Pompeoand other officials as ‘priority targets’ for their role in overseeing the January 2020 US drone attack in which Soleimani was killed while visiting Iraq.
As Biden visits Israel on a tour of the Middle East (above), a new US intelligence report warns that Iran may be plotting to assassinate top former US officials to avenge the attack on Soleimani.
According to Yahoo News, the intelligence report (above), which is unclassified but ‘for official use only’, was widely distributed within the government and to law enforcement agencies.
Iran has long openly threatened bombings to avenge Soleimani’s death, but the new report further confirms that US officials are taking the threats seriously.
The intelligence report, marked as unclassified but marked ‘for official use only’, was widely distributed within the government and to law enforcement agencies across the country.
‘Since January 2021, Tehran has publicly expressed its willingness to conduct deadly operations inside the United States and has consistently targeted former President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and former CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie for retaliation for its priority targets. has been identified as,’ the report says.
“Iran probably considers the killing or prosecution of a US official equivalent to Soleimani or responsible for his death as a successful retaliation,” the assessment said.
The report warned that Iran is conducting “a multi-pronged campaign” to avenge Soleimani’s death, including “threats of lethal action, international legal maneuvering, and the issuance of Iranian arrest warrants and sanctions”.
Iran has long openly threatened bombing in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani (above), who was the commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guard.
Trump orders drone strike that destroyed Soleimani’s convoy as he made secret trip to Baghdad
Days after Soleimani’s death, Iranians are seen chanting slogans during prayer in the capital, Tehran, of slain Iranian commander Qasim Suleimani (l) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi military network. below pictures.
The NCTC, which released the assessment, did not immediately respond to an inquiry by DailyMail.com on Wednesday evening.
The assessment was based on statements and actions made by the Iranian government, and describes failed conspiracies to assassinate US officials, as well as legal maneuvers and threats against specific officials.
Iran has made no secret of its thirst for vengeance against Trump and other officials, publicly vowing to seek “tough revenge” and making other threats.
In January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei shared an animated video that appeared to call out a robot in a drone attack on Trump while playing golf in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
Titled ‘Revenge is Inevitable’, the footage was part of a competition organized to mark the two-year anniversary of Soleimani’s death.
Meanwhile, Biden arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday and assured worried Israeli leaders of his determination to halt Iran’s growing nuclear program, saying he was ready to use force as a “last resort”.
In January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei shared an animated video that appeared to call out a robot in a drone attack on Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Biden said in an interview broadcast on Israel’s Channel 12, “The only thing worse than Iran that exists right now is Iran with nuclear weapons.” When asked about using military force against Iran, Biden said, ‘If that was a last resort, yes.’
Biden revived the Iran nuclear deal, brokered by Barack Obama in 2015 and dropped by Trump in 2018, a major priority as he entered office.
Biden said Trump made a “big mistake” by pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear deal.
“There are people who thought that with the previous administration we moved away from the Middle East, that we were going to create a void that China and Russia would fill, and we cannot let that happen,” he said.
But indirect talks for the US to rejoin the deal have stalled as Iran has made rapid profits in developing its nuclear program.
That left the Biden administration pessimistic about reneging on the deal, which imposed significant sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.