When President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22, some questioned whether the decision was rooted in national security or if it was shaped by something more personal. Recent reports suggest that Trump may have been thinking not just about Iran’s nuclear threat but also about a series of threats against his own life, some allegedly linked to Iran.
At the same time, Trump has made it clear for years that he believes Iran should never be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb.
According to The National Review, those who have worked for Trump over the years reportedly believe Iran’s alleged assassination plots may have deepened his resolve. If a country is willing to green-light an assassination plot against an American president, the theory goes, then what are they willing to do with a nuclear weapon?
How the Soleimani strike sparked a chain of events
Tensions between Trump and Iran date back to January 2020, when he ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Trump said Soleimani was planning attacks on Americans and needed to be stopped. Iran called it terrorism and vowed revenge.
Soon after, Iran said it would no longer abide by the restrictions on its uranium enrichment as part of a 2015 nuclear deal. Moreover, Iran released several propaganda videos, with one on the website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei depicting an animated drone strike targeting Trump on a golf course. Another, shared by a Telegram channel linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showed a fictional attack on the U.S. Capitol and White House, culminating in the killing of Trump.
Threats Against Trump tied to Iran
Since the death of Soleimani, there have been several real incidents raising concerns about Trump’s safety:
In 2022, as Trump prepared for another presidential run, he canceled plans to attend the CPAC conference in Hungary because his aides were worried Iran might try to harm him overseas. He spoke by video instead.
In July 2024, Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by Thomas Matthew Crooks. Nine weeks later, another man — Ryan Routh — was intercepted at Trump’s Florida golf club in what the FBI described as an assassination attempt.
That fall, Trump said on social media that there were “real and specific threats” from Iran to kill him.
Even the Biden administration saw cause for concern. In November 2024, a man named Farhad Shakeri, currently residing in Iran, was arrested and charged with planning to assassinate Trump. The Department of Justice believed he had been tasked by the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to draw up a plot to surveil and assassinate Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
Iran has denied involvement in any of these incidents. In January, Iran’s president said to NBC News, “We never attempted to kill Trump, and we never will.” But U.S. court documents say otherwise, claiming Shakeri admitted that Iran told him to track and kill Trump.
Increased security and a Trump threat
Even before the Butler shooting, the Secret Service had already ramped up Trump’s protective detail based on intelligence that Iran might be plotting against him. After the shooting, his security was expanded further, with more agents assigned, upgraded technology deployed and tighter coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
In February, speaking to reporters while signing an executive order to increase pressure on Tehran, Trump made clear what would happen if Iran assassinated him: “If they did that, they would be obliterated. I’ve left instructions — if they do it, they get obliterated. There won’t be anything left.”
The Trump message on Iran’s nukes remains consistent
So, was the bombing of key Iranian nuclear sites a response to Iran’s progress or influenced by the threats against Trump’s life during his 2024 election campaign?
According to Trump’s team, the strike was driven by intelligence showing Iran nearing the capability to build a nuclear weapon. At the same time, Trump has faced multiple threats over the years, some directly tied to Iran. Whatever the motive, the strike marks a significant escalation in Trump’s longstanding stance against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
