Intelligence officials inform Trump campaign team about Iranian threats but do not reveal details of new plot

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials confirmed Wednesday that they had informed Donald Trump's campaign team about Iranian threats against the Republican presidential candidate.

The agency confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press that the briefing had taken place, but declined to comment on whether there was evidence of a new plot against Trump or whether the briefing was more about previously reported threats from Iran.

In a statement Tuesday, campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the meeting included information about “real and concrete” threats to assassinate him in order to “destabilize the United States and create chaos.”

The Trump team declined to provide further details of Tuesday's press conference.

Iran is not connected to the assassination attempts on Trump's life. a rally in Pennsylvania in July and at his golf course in Florida this month. On the first attempt, authorities shot and killed the gunman who shot Trump, and on the second attempt, they arrested the suspect at the scene.

But U.S. officials have long been concerned about Iran, which they view as a threat to both Trump and former Trump administration officials and accuse of trying to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.

In July, authorities announced that an Iranian threat against Trump’s life and consequently increased security for the candidate. The following month, a Pakistani man allegedly with ties to Iran was accused in a conspiracy to carry out political assassinations on U.S. soil. Law enforcement authorities did not name the targets of the alleged plot, but legal documents suggest Trump was a potential target.

Iranian hackers also Information stolen from Trump's election campaign and tried unsuccessfully to interest news organizations and President Joe Biden's campaign in the material. There is no indication that any of the recipients responded.

In addition to Russia and China, Iran also has a Extensive online influence operation Intelligence officials said the campaign is designed to stoke discord and polarization ahead of the November election. Iran also opposes Trump's re-election, seeing him as the candidate most likely to escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Trump's government ended the nuclear agreement with Iranre-imposed sanctions and ordered Killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimanian act that prompted the Iranian leadership to Swear revenge.

In an interview with CBS This Morning, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said authorities had been tracking Iran's threats against “a number of senior officials,” including Trump and individuals now serving in the Biden administration.

“This is something we have been pursuing very intensively for a long time,” Blinken said.

In 2022, an Iranian agent was charged in a plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton in alleged retaliation for a US airstrike that killed Soleimani.

The Secret Service did not respond to requests for information about new threats against Trump or whether it has recently increased security for the campaign in response. However, the agency has publicly stated that the former president has enjoyed the highest level of protection the agency can offer since the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.