US forces have killed the leader of an Iranian unit that tried to assassinate US President Donald Trump, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth says.
“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth tells a news conference at the Pentagon.
He says the United States has known “for a long time that Iran had intentions on trying to kill President Trump and or other US officials.”
Targeting those behind that effort was not the main focus of US operations, and Trump never raised the issue, Hegseth says, after reports that the assassination risk was one factor in the president’s decision to launch the war.
“I ensured, and others ensured, that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list,” Hegseth adds, without providing further details.
American officials have previously accused Iran of seeking to assassinate Trump to avenge the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed on the US president’s orders in a 2020 drone strike in Iraq.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2026
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