Leader behind plot to assassinate President Donald Trump killed during Operation Epic Flury

thebesig | March 4, 2026 | 4 Comments

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Iranian leader of a group that attempted to assassinate President Trump was liquidated in Iran. He was among the casualties of Operation Epic Fury. In 2024, folks linked to Iran hatched a plot to assassinate Donald Trump. This appeared to be an attempt to retaliate for the liquidation of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

From Fox News:

“The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate Trump has been hunted down and killed,” Hegseth said during a press conference Wednesday morning.

“Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth continued. “Now, this is not a ‘mission accomplished’ situation. This is simply a reality check.”

In 2024, Iran-linked actors attempted to arrange an assassination plot to take out the president. Iran has previously threatened to assassinate Trump following the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

In 2022, an Iranian video depicted an assassination attempt on Trump while he played golf.

U.S. officials confirmed earlier this week that strikes on Iran, which began Saturday, killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump reflected on Khamenei’s death in a call to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl earlier this week, saying: “I got him before he got me.”

“They tried twice,” Trump continued, referring to Iran’s previous attempts on his life. “Well, I got him first.”

Additional Reading:

Dornbos, C. (2024, September 25). Iranian animation targeting Trump on golf course resurfaces after assassination attempts: ‘Revenge is definite’. New York Post. Link.

Singman, B. (2026, March 4). Hegseth says the leader behind effort to assassinate Trump has been ‘hunted down and killed’ in Iran. Fox News. Link.