Count us out! Iran denies assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump
Iran has denied accusations regarding plots to assassinate former US President Donald Trump, while citing legal action for the 2020 assassination of a revered general by US drone, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday.
IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action.”
Kanaani added, “Iran is determined to pursue legal action against Trump for his direct role in the crime of assassinating Martyr General Qassem Soleimani.”
Soleimani was the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and was killed in a US drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020.
A threat on Trump’s life from Iran prompted additional security in the days before Saturday’s campaign rally, but it was unrelated to the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee, two US officials said Tuesday.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, on Tuesday rejected the accusations against Tehran as “baseless” and “politically motivated.”
Recall that Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally Saturday after a major security lapse.
The attack will likely reshape this year’s presidential race and fuel long-standing fears that the campaign could descend into political violence.
The attack, which occurred at a political rally, has sparked widespread outrage and an outpouring of support for Trump and his family.
US President Joe Biden, along with other high-ranking government officials, has condemned the attack, calling it “a senseless act of violence” that has “no place in our society”.
