Iran is plotting to assasinate President Trump, Israel warns the United States

• CNN reports that the Israeli intelligence informed its US counterparts of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump.

• In a recent interview aboard the Airforce 1, President Trump told the press that he was aware that he's top of the Iranian kill list.

• The relationship between the US and Iran has further deteriorated after both nations failed to reach a ceasefire agreement.

In a publication on July 9, 2026, CNN reported that two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed that Israel informed the US of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump. The disclosure has further heightened tensions in the severely strained relationship between the two nations, which recently failed to reach a ceasefire agreement despite months of negotiation.

Quoting the Wall Street Journal, CNN reported that one of the sources indicated the warning was delivered this week, while a second source said American intelligence agencies had already been monitoring a growing volume of information in recent weeks about possible assassination plots targeting Trump.

However, the Israeli warning was described as new and related to a specific plan rather than general chatter.

Not everyone in Washington has taken the Israeli report at face value. Several American officials suggested the warning may be part of a broader effort by Israel to shape Trump's thinking as he considers whether to escalate United States military action against Iran. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that American agencies had not independently verified the claims and were not tracking the specific plot before Israel brought it to their attention.

The threat itself is not entirely without precedent. Washington has for years cautioned that Iran may seek to kill Trump in retaliation for the January 2020 drone strike he authorised that killed senior Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

When asked about the Israeli warning, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the White House directed journalists to recent remarks made by the president himself.

"They want to take out the US leader — me," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "I'm on whatever list. I saw this morning I'm on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I've been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn't last very long. These are evil, sick people. And we have to root out that cancer."

Trump later said he had recently become aware of a new list placing him at the top of Iran's assassination targets, though it was not confirmed whether he was referring to the intelligence passed on by Israel.

At the funeral of the assasinated Iran supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed by a US air strike in February 2026, protesters carried banners that said "we will kill Trump", which reflects what the US considers a popular sentiment in Iran.

The development is expected to add another dynamic to Trump's stance on Iran, which recently attracted criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who disagreed with Washington's stance on not supporting Israel's military action in Lebanon.

While Trump has been vocal about his intentions to exert maximum force to get Tehran to comply with his ceasefire demands, CNN reports that efforts are still ongoing on the diplomatic front, as a senior American official confirmed that back-channel negotiations were still ongoing with Iran on a possible ceasefire.

Although Israel's report of a possible assassination attempt on Trump's life is not expected to lead to immediate US military action, the presidency is reported to be making miliatary preparation quietly alongside exploring diplomatic options.

US aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, along with other US military assets, is positioned in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman in preparation for possible military strikes.