The United States has been unable to independently confirm several warnings from Israel alleging that Iran was planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to current and former US officials familiar with the intelligence.
The warnings were reportedly shared with US intelligence agencies over the past year and, in some cases, communicated directly by Israeli officials to senior members of the White House. The alleged plots included plans to target Trump with a sniper or recruit an attacker to use a knife during a major public gathering.
According to the officials, the warnings began emerging before the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025 and became more frequent ahead of the US military campaign against Iran in February.
One of the most detailed warnings reportedly came before the NATO summit in Ankara in July. Israeli officials informed the White House that Iran might attempt to target Trump while he was travelling aboard Air Force One, potentially using a shoulder-launched missile.
However, US intelligence agencies were unable to independently corroborate several of the specific threats. A Turkish official also said that Turkey’s intelligence services found no evidence supporting the Israeli warning concerning a possible attack on Trump during his visit.
Despite the lack of confirmation, US authorities took additional security precautions. Among the measures was an unusual deception operation during Trump’s Turkey trip, in which he was reportedly transferred from Air Force One to another aircraft for his return journey.
The episode highlights the growing importance of Israeli intelligence in the Trump administration’s assessment of threats from Iran, while also revealing differences between American, Israeli and Turkish intelligence assessments.
US intelligence agencies have long assessed that Iran has an interest in retaliating against Trump over the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. However, officials said the CIA has not been able to verify some of the specific assassination claims attributed to Iranian operatives.
During the recent US military operations against Iran, some American intelligence assessments reportedly assigned low confidence to Israeli intelligence concerning Iranian threats, including alleged plans to assassinate Trump.
The Israeli Embassy rejected the suggestion that Israel was using intelligence sharing to influence US policy toward Iran, arguing that intelligence exchanges were part of the countries’ security relationship.
The White House and CIA declined to comment on the reports, while the US Secret Service said it continuously evaluates intelligence and other information to protect the president.
The revelations come amid broader concerns over coordination within the US intelligence community. Former officials said cooperation between the CIA and the National Intelligence Council had declined, while staff reductions at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had also contributed to fewer recent assessments concerning Iran.
The conflicting intelligence assessments underline the challenges facing Washington as it balances threats from Tehran with intelligence supplied by its closest regional ally, Israel.
