Iran’s Desperate Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump
Iran's assassination campaign against Donald Trump stems from theological grievance over the 2020 killing of General Qassem Soleimani and will persist as long as the Islamic Republic exists.
The threat came into sharp focus last month when Trump used a catering truck to covertly switch aircraft before departing a NATO summit in Turkey, acting on Secret Service advice in response to credible Iranian assassination plots.
The late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi foreshadowed this enduring threat during his September 2023 address to the United Nations General Assembly, when he declared that the blood of the oppressed will not be forgotten and promised justice against the guilty.
Theological Ideology Fuels Assassination Drive
Tehran’s determination to kill Trump cannot be understood outside the regime’s Khomeinist interpretation of Twelver Shia theology, which glorifies martyrdom and resistance against perceived oppressors. This worldview draws heavily from the 7th-century Battle of Karbala, where Husayn ibn Ali died fighting an Umayyad force, creating a permanent template for resistance martyrdom.
Trump has inflicted unprecedented damage on the Iranian regime’s ideological foundations and strategic ambitions, making him the Islamic Republic’s most hated enemy.
Soleimani Strike Ignited Permanent Vendetta
The January 2020 killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Qassem Soleimani on Trump’s orders represented the first major offense. Soleimani had orchestrated the deaths of hundreds of Americans and wounded thousands more in Iraq, many through explosively-formed penetrators that transformed armored vehicles into deadly shrapnel chambers. His operations included a 2011 plot to bomb Cafe Milano restaurant in Washington, D.C.
Beyond his military record, Soleimani held profound symbolic importance as a close partner of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was viewed by regime ideologues as living proof of Iran’s destined regional dominance. His elimination dealt simultaneous theological and strategic blows to Tehran.
Khamenei responded by ordering the Guard and Ministry of Intelligence to develop assassination plans targeting Trump and senior officials from his first administration. The target list included former national security advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as first reported by Washington Examiner, leading to extensive and costly security details, though Trump later revoked some protections.
Khamenei’s Death Elevated Trump to Ultimate Enemy
The February 28 killing of Khamenei himself during this year’s war on Iran transformed Trump from a mortal adversary into something far more significant in Iranian ideology. The supreme leader was regarded by regime followers as God’s ordained human servant and the ultimate custodian of Islamic justice, serving as caretaker awaiting the return of the Mahdi, a servant of the Prophet Muhammad currently believed to be in physical hiding.
By eliminating Khamenei, Trump became the Iranian equivalent of the Antichrist in the regime’s theological framework. Tehran’s ideologues now believe their holy justice demands purification through the president’s blood and that of his family.
No Diplomatic Solution Exists
Unlike other adversarial relationships that Trump has successfully transformed through negotiation, the Islamic Republic views his fate as theologically sealed. Neither diplomatic overtures nor military threats will alter Tehran’s conviction that Trump must die.
Whether operating directly or through organized crime proxies, the Iranian regime will continue pursuit of Trump’s assassination indefinitely. Only the demise of the Islamic Republic itself or Trump’s death will end this campaign.
This permanent threat explains the extensive Secret Service precautionary measures currently protecting the former president, security arrangements that will necessarily extend far into the future regardless of political developments or attempted diplomatic engagement.
With information from Washington Examiner
