Trump denies reports of Israel sharing information on alleged Iranian assassination plot

Washington, July 11 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Friday (US time) dismissed recent reports that Israel had provided information about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him.

“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” Trump told the New York Post.

However, the president said he has “left instructions” should Iran succeed in an assassination plot against him, Xinhua news agency reported.

“I’ve been No. 1 (on Iran’s kill list) for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know,” Trump said. “I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump said Washington will continue negotiations with Tehran after his administration notified Iran that the ceasefire was over.

Israeli intelligence recently warned the United States that Iran had devised a fresh plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and CNN, hours after which Trump publicly said he was Tehran’s “number one” assassination target while defending his administration’s military campaign against Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Israelis recently shared intelligence with Washington indicating that Iran was considering a new plan to assassinate Trump, a development, the newspaper said would mark a significant escalation in the confrontation between the two countries.

CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that Israel had passed the warning to US officials, although the United States had not independently verified the intelligence before receiving the Israeli assessment.

Asked about the reports, the White House referred both news organisations to remarks Trump made during the NATO summit in Ankara, where he openly acknowledged that he remains Tehran’s principal target.

–IANS

int/rs