US intelligence could not verify Israeli warnings of Iran plot to kill Trump

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. intelligence agencies received repeated warnings from Israel over the past year that Iran was planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, but the CIA was unable to confirm several of the specific threats relayed by Israeli intelligence, U.S. officials said. The warnings included intelligence suggesting Iran could attempt a shoulder-fired missile attack on Air Force One ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey, according to the officials. A Turkish official said Turkish intelligence told the United States that it had no evidence corroborating Israel's claimed threat to Trump. Despite the threat not being verified, the White House and the Secret Service took extraordinary security measures around the Turkey trip, including transferring Trump to a different aircraft on the return flight rather than using the presidential plane. U.S. officials have long assessed that Iran sought revenge for the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani, the officials said. Former U.S. officials said the CIA's confidence in Israeli intelligence was low during two military operations against Iran last year. An Israeli Embassy spokesman rejected allegations that intelligence information was being used to influence U.S. policy.