Trump Briefed on Alleged Assassination Threats by Iran, His Campaign Says

Former President Donald Trump warned in an overnight social media post, as his campaign was reporting he had been briefed by intelligence sources about assassination threats from Iran, that it would be a "Death Wish" for an attacker to come after a former president.

"Big threats on my life by Iran," Trump posed on Truth Social early Wednesday. "The entire U.S. Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn't work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone."

Trump also thanked Congress for its unanimous approval of more money for the Secret Service after assassination attempts against him during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July and at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach earlier this month.

"I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before," Trump said. "Thank you to Congress for unanimously approving far more money to Secret Service – Zero 'NO' Votes, strictly bipartisan. Nice to see Republicans and Democrats get together on something."

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that gives major presidential candidates like Trump and his Democrat rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, the same level of protection as a sitting president.

The Trump campaign said Tuesday night the former president was briefed earlier in the day by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concerning "real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to sow chaos in the United States."

"Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference," Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung added in a statement.

The threats come, Cheung said, because the "terror regime in Iran loves the weakness of Kamala Harris and is terrified of the strength and resolve of President Trump" who will "let nothing stop him or get in his way to fight for the American people and to Make America Great Again."

NBC News reported a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged Tuesday night that there had been a briefing, but would not address the specifics.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News' "Today" that the State Department has been tracking threats against U.S. officials, including Trump.

"This is something we've been tracking very intensely for a long time — an ongoing threat by Iran against a number of senior officials, including former government officials like President Trump, and some people who are currently serving the administration," Blinken said. "It's something we take very, very seriously. We're looking at it very carefully. I don't have any further information to share, but know that we're watching this very carefully."

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to NBC's request for a comment, and the Harris campaign did not have an immediate comment.

Earlier this year, the Secret Service increased its security around Trump after the Biden administration got information about an alleged plot against Trump from Iran.

The news about the increase in security came after the July 13 attempt on Trump in Butler, but officials said at that time that there was no sign that the Iranian plot and the rally shooting were connected.

Secret Service agents shot and killed a local resident, Thomas Matthew Crooks after he opened fire, with a bullet grazing Trump's ear and other shots killing a rallygoer and seriously injuring two more.

On Sept. 15, police captured a suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, who authorities said fled after agents opened fire on him when they saw the barrel of his gun peeking out from a fence near where Trump was golfing. Tuesday, Routh was charged with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, adding to other charges that had been filed against him.

The Trump campaign has also accused Iran of a hacking attempt in June, with U.S. agencies later confirming the Middle Eastern country was behind attempts to compromise both presidential campaigns.

Intelligence agencies have also said that Iranian hackers accessed Trump campaign emails, sending documents to Biden campaign associates.

Iran has denied those accusations, calling them "entirely baseless, lacking any credibility and legitimacy," according to the Fars News Agency.

Meanwhile, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps was charged in 2022 by the United States in a plot to kill Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, the BBC reported.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Shahram Poursafi had tried to pay $300,000 to people in the United States to murder Bolton in revenge for the death strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander.