Iran is plotting to kill or capture Donald Trump and his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, according to a leaked US government intelligence report.
The Middle East nation is seeking to avenge the United States for the death of Major General Qassim Soleimani, a powerful Iranian commander, at the hands of a US drone strike two years ago.
The astonishing claim came from the latest National Counterterrorism Centre report that said the Iranian regime is "waging a multi-pronged campaign against select US officials".
It said this includes threats of lethal action, international legal manoeuvring, and the issuance of Iranian arrest warrants and sanctions.
Commander Soleimani was considered one of the most powerful military figures in the Middle East, conspiring and assisting with the bloody Russian military intervention in Syria as well as providing extensive assistance to the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
The leading Iranian figure was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad airport when he was visiting Iraq in January 2020.
“Since January 2021, Tehran has publicly expressed a willingness to conduct lethal operations inside the United States and has consistently identified former President Donald Trump, former secretary of state Michael Pompeo, and former General Kenneth McKenzie as among its priority targets for retribution,” the report says according to Yahoo News.
It continued that Iran would likely view the killing or prosecution of a US official like Trump as an equivalent in rank and stature to Soleimani "or responsible for his death as successful retaliatory actions.”
Yahoo states that the report is marked with “Not for Public Release” and “For Official Use Only."
The findings come as US President Joe Biden is on a vast tour of the Middle East, to strengthen ties with the region amid fears the Iran Nuclear deal talks may collapse.
On his first Middle East trip as US president, he said to Israeli broadcaster N12 that he would use military force against Iran to stop its regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.
He said: "the only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons."
Mr Biden said he still hopes to revive the nuclear deal.
Spokespeople for Mr Trump, Mr Pompeo and Gen McKenzie did not reply to requests for comment from Yahoo News, who obtained the report, nor did the US Secret Service.
