Shortly before US President Donald Trump ended a ceasefire with Iran in early July 2026, Israeli officials provided intelligence to his team indicating that Tehran was planning new assassination attempts against him. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have monitored Iranian efforts to target Trump for years, with activity intensifying since the outbreak of war.

The animosity traces back six years to a drone strike ordered by Trump near Baghdad International Airport that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful general. This assassination nearly triggered full-scale war, and Iranian officials subsequently vowed revenge, authorizing attempts on the lives of Trump and his top aides, including his secretary of state and national security adviser, even after they left office.

The conflict escalated further in February 2026 when a joint US-Israeli operation killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Tehran, calls for revenge have intensified, with protesters at Khamenei’s funeral explicitly demanding the government "kill Trump."

These developments underscore the enduring and escalating tensions between the US and Iran, marked by targeted killings and retaliatory threats.

Sources