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Hegseth says the leader behind effort to assassinate Trump has been 'hunted down and killed' in Iran
By Brooke Singman
Published March 04, 2026
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that an Iranian leader behind a unit that attempted to assassinate President Trump has been killed in Iran amid Operation Epic Fury.
"The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate Trump has been hunted down and killed," Hegseth said during a press conference Wednesday morning.
"Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh," Hegseth continued. "Now, this is not a ‘mission accomplished’ situation. This is simply a reality check."
FROM HOSTAGE CRISIS TO ASSASSINATION PLOTS: IRAN’S NEAR HALF-CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS
War Secretary Pete Hegseth stands outside the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
In 2024, Iran-linked actors attempted to arrange an assassination plot to take out the president. Iran has previously threatened to assassinate Trump following the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
In 2022, an Iranian video depicted an assassination attempt on Trump while he played golf.
U.S. officials confirmed earlier this week that strikes on Iran, which began Saturday, killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Trump is reportedly considering backing militias in Iran to topple the regime. (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images/Contributor/Getty Images)
Trump reflected on Khamenei's death in a call to ABC News' Jonathan Karl earlier this week, saying: "I got him before he got me."
"They tried twice," Trump continued, referring to Iran's previous attempts on his life. "Well, I got him first."
TRUMP SAYS US SANK 10 SHIPS IN IRAN STRIKE, ‘LAST, BEST CHANCE’ TO ACT
A person holds an image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iranian demonstrators protest against the U.S.-Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Feb. 28, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Meanwhile, Hegseth, on Wednesday said the combination of U.S. and Israeli intelligence and combat power "will control Iran and will control it soon."
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"America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy," Hegseth said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-says-leader-behind-effort-assassinate-trump-has-been-hunted-down-killed-iran