US tightens Trump security after Israeli warnings of Iranian threats

Repeated Israeli warnings of alleged Iranian plots targeting President Donald Trump led the United States to implement stringent security measures, despite intelligence agencies lacking confirmation. Israeli officials relayed the warnings directly to senior White House officials, detailing scenarios like sniper attacks or knife assaults during public events.

The alerts commenced before the 2025 Iran conflict and escalated as tensions rose in February. The most detailed warning surfaced prior to the NATO summit in Ankara, informing the White House of intelligence suggesting an assassination attempt via shoulder-fired missile while Trump was on Air Force One. However, US intelligence assessments found no substantiation for these claims, with the CIA unable to verify specific threats.

Despite the lack of verification, precautionary steps were taken, including a decoy operation during the Turkey visit where Trump was transferred from Air Force One to another aircraft upon departure. This underscores the impact of Israeli intelligence on US policy decisions regarding Iran, despite differing assessments between US and Israeli agencies on the Iranian threat.

Israel's embassy denied using intelligence to influence policy, and the White House and CIA declined to comment. US intelligence agencies typically rely on Israeli intelligence, especially concerning Iran, although the CIA's confidence in such information was low in several instances during US strikes on Iran. Israeli officials had been directly briefing senior Trump administration officials on Iranian threats, amid a breakdown in information sharing within the administration.

The CIA had ceased coordination with the National Intelligence Council due to escalating tensions with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.