Tehran's Written Guarantee to the U.S. Against Assassination of Donald Trump

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, November 25, that the Islamic Republic of Iran provided a "written guarantee" to the United States that it does not intend to assassinate Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States. According to the newspaper, Iran's government gave a written assurance to Joe Biden's administration last month that it has no plans to kill Donald Trump. As of the time of this report, Voice of America has not been able to independently confirm or deny this report. The message from Tehran, sent on October 15, was a response to a written and private warning from the U.S. to the Islamic Republic. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed American officials, wrote that the Biden administration emphasized in this message that threats against Donald Trump would be considered a top national security issue and an act of war. These threats stem from statements made by senior Iranian officials regarding revenge for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. on January 3, 2020. According to this report, the written response from the Iranian government may indicate Tehran's efforts to prevent escalation of tensions with the U.S., especially as Trump's presidency will begin at the start of this year. The report also notes that Iran's written guarantee could be for strategic reasons, such as preventing further sanctions, avoiding increased diplomatic pressures, or international intervention. The Wall Street Journal's report came after the U.S. Department of Justice released details on November 9 regarding an indictment related to foiling an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump before the presidential election. According to the criminal indictment filed in the federal court in Manhattan, New York, an official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had ordered one of the Iranian operatives in September to prepare a plan to monitor and ultimately assassinate Trump. The Iranian Foreign Ministry described the U.S. allegations regarding this plot as "completely unfounded" on November 10. According to AFP, Ismail Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated in a declaration following the announcement of the allegations by U.S. prosecutors regarding this plot that, "The Foreign Ministry rejects the claims regarding Iran's involvement in an assassination targeting former or current U.S. officials." The Iranian government's denial of involvement in this plot comes at a time when Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to take "revenge" for the killing of Qassem Soleimani by any means necessary. Ali Shamkhani, the then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, had stated during those days that Iran's "response" to Soleimani's killing would "certainly be military, but it will not be limited to military actions." The Islamic Republic's attempts to assassinate its political opponents abroad, as well as former officials of the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have a history. Reuters reported in mid-October that the Islamic Republic has been involved in at least 33 assassination or kidnapping attempts in Europe and the U.S. since 2020.