Netanyahu says Iran targeted Trump in pair of assassination plots

By 
 updated on June 16, 2025

Iran’s shadow looms large over America’s heartland, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Tehran of masterminding two failed assassination attempts on President Trump, as the New York Post reports. His bombshell claims, aired on Fox News over the weekend, paint a chilling picture of a rogue regime desperate to silence a leader they fear. If true, this is a wake-up call for a nation already weary of foreign meddling.

Netanyahu alleges Iran orchestrated attacks on Trump during his 2024 campaign, citing their fear of his staunch anti-nuclear stance. The accusations come amid escalating tensions, with Israel and Iran trading missile strikes just days before the interview. Yet, American security agencies remain skeptical, unable to confirm Tehran’s direct involvement.

In July 2024, Trump narrowly escaped death at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign event when a bullet grazed his ear. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, an engineering student, was neutralized by a Secret Service sniper. Trump later called his survival a “miracle,” a sentiment echoed by the hospital doctor who treated him.

Close calls, bold claims

Two months later, on Sept 15, authorities arrested Ryan Routh at Trump International Golf Club, armed with a semi-automatic rifle. Routh’s jailhouse letter, a rambling screed against America’s two-party system, bizarrely linked him to Crooks. These incidents, Netanyahu insists, bear Iran’s fingerprints, though he offers no public evidence to back his claim.

“These people who chant, ‘Death to America,’ tried to assassinate President Trump twice,” Netanyahu declared. His words aim to jolt a complacent West, but without corroboration from U.S. intelligence, they risk sounding like geopolitical theater. Still, the accusation aligns with Trump’s own September 2024 speech, where he pointed the finger at Iran.

Iranian leaders, predictably, deny any role in the plots. Their dismissal is as routine as it is unconvincing, given their history of proxy warfare and anti-American rhetoric. Yet, without hard proof, Netanyahu’s charges teeter on the edge of speculation, even if they resonate with Trump’s base.

Proxies, nuclear ambitions emerge

Netanyahu’s interview took a personal turn when he claimed Iran also targeted him, calling himself Trump’s “junior partner.” He frames both leaders as obstacles to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a threat he says endangers not just Israel but the world. “Do you want these people to have nuclear weapons?” he asked, a rhetorical jab at progressive naivety.

“Through proxies, yes. Through their intel, yes,” Netanyahu responded when Baier pressed for evidence of Iran’s involvement. His vague reliance on “proxies” invites skepticism, especially when U.S. agencies haven’t connected the dots. But the specter of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard lingers, especially after November 2024 federal accusations against an unnamed agent.

The feds’ November report alleged an Iranian operative recruited Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old, to surveil and kill Trump. This revelation lends some weight to Netanyahu’s claims, though it stops short of confirming direct orders from Tehran. Shakeri’s role remains a murky footnote in an already convoluted saga.

Escalating tensions, unanswered questions

Trump’s survival of the July and September attempts underscores his resilience, a trait his supporters see as combined with divine providence. “I’m not supposed to be here,” he said, reflecting on the Butler attack. That he continues to campaign undeterred only amplifies his defiance of both domestic and foreign foes.

Netanyahu’s accusations come against a backdrop of missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, signaling a region on edge. His timing -- days after the weekend barrage -- suggests a calculated move to rally Western support against a common enemy. But without U.S. confirmation, his words risk being dismissed as diplomatic posturing.

Routh’s letter from jail, tying himself to Crooks, adds a bizarre layer to the story. His condemnation of America’s political system reads like a manifesto from the fringes, not a smoking gun of Iranian orchestration. Still, it fuels the narrative of chaos that Trump’s enemies, foreign or domestic, might exploit.

Call for vigilance

Netanyahu’s claim that Iran sees Trump as a “great threat” to its nuclear goals is plausible, given Trump’s hardline stance. His administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 sent a clear message: no appeasement. Progressives may scoff, but Iran’s aggression thrives on perceived weakness.

The lack of U.S. intelligence backing Netanyahu’s claims is a sticking point, but it doesn’t negate the broader threat. Iran’s history of funding proxies and stirring chaos demands scrutiny, not dismissal. A nation chanting “Death to America” isn’t exactly a beacon of good faith.

Trump’s brush with death, twice, is a stark reminder of the stakes in a world where rogue regimes play dirty. Netanyahu’s warnings, whether proven or not, should spur America to tighten its defenses and reject the woke delusion of trusting bad actors. The truth may be murky, but the danger is real.

About Alex Tanzer

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