{"id":109087,"date":"2026-11-11T19:39:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-u-s-officials-who-have-been-targeted-or-threatened-in-iranian-plots\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T19:39:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:39:44","slug":"the-u-s-officials-who-have-been-targeted-or-threatened-in-iranian-plots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-u-s-officials-who-have-been-targeted-or-threatened-in-iranian-plots\/","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. officials who have been targeted or threatened in Iranian plots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p><em>Washington <\/em>\u2014 Treasury Secretary <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/bessent-relocate-dc-area-home-military-base-iran-threats-to-kill-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Scott Bessent<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is the latest U.S. official to be threatened or targeted by Iran, but he is far from the first.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian regime has been implicated in various plots to target top U.S. officials since 2020, when President Trump ordered the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.<\/p>\n<p>Threats against Americans have ramped up since the start of the ongoing war with Iran. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-target-u-s-personnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">warned<\/a><\/span> in October that Iran has &#8220;substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel&#8221; abroad, with plots to kill Americans reaching &#8220;advanced stages&#8221; in the Middle East and other countries.<\/p>\n<p>Bessent relocated from his home in the Washington, D.C., area to a military base following a series of Iranian threats against his life, CBS News confirmed Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The threats against other officials have been detailed in court records and news reports. Here are other U.S. officials Iran has targeted or threatened in recent years:<\/p>\n<h2>President Trump\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/11\/11\/408ec9f1-283d-492f-bddc-bf95ecdbadaf\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/979a87f66bde36e53bf9079e8ec63d2e\/gettyimages-2303235694.jpg#\" alt=\"President Trump in the Oval Office on Nov. 5, 2026.  \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/11\/11\/408ec9f1-283d-492f-bddc-bf95ecdbadaf\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/979a87f66bde36e53bf9079e8ec63d2e\/gettyimages-2303235694.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/11\/11\/408ec9f1-283d-492f-bddc-bf95ecdbadaf\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/044fbb4ab033ec0b667c0c86562284da\/gettyimages-2303235694.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">President Trump in the Oval Office on Nov. 5, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Jim Lo Scalzo \/ EPA \/ Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. charged Pakistani national Asif Merchant with plotting a murder-for-hire scheme targeting U.S. officials in documents unsealed in August 2024. Court documents didn&#8217;t name his targets, but <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/pakistani-iran-murder-plot-u-s-officials\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News<\/a><\/span> that President Trump was one of them. Merchant was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/iranian-intelligence-agent-convicted-terrorism-and-murder-hire-connection-foiled-plot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">convicted<\/a> of terrorism and murder for hire in March of this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department said Merchant was a trained operative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that he admitted the IRGC sent him to the U.S. to arrange for political assassinations and to steal documents. Prosecutors said law enforcement thwarted his efforts and he was arrested.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the time, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said Merchant &#8220;landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump \u2014 instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department separately <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-operative-scheme-assassinate-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">charged<\/a><\/span> Farhad Shakeri, an alleged IRGC asset living in Tehran, in November 2024. Prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1376516\/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Shakeri told FBI agents that an IRGC official had directed him the month before to come up with a plan to kill Mr. Trump. If he couldn&#8217;t do it in time, the official said, the IRGC would wait until after the election, believing Mr. Trump would lose and be easier to target. Shakeri told investigators he didn&#8217;t intend to propose a plan within the IRGC&#8217;s timeframe. He remains at large and is believed to be in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump also secretly <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-secret-air-force-one-switch-iran-missile-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">switched planes<\/a><\/span> before returning from a summit in Turkey over the summer, a move that came after intelligence warnings about an Iranian plot to target Air Force One with a surface-to-air missile. Mr. Trump later told reporters, &#8220;I have a lot of threats.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Former President Joe Biden\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2023\/03\/20\/566acb33-7ee6-48ae-b0d7-19d5510899bd\/thumbnail\/620x430g3\/67a24b8ca75489dd10fa65b45e8d86e8\/gettyimages-1248904404.jpg#\" alt=\"President Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2023. \" height=\"430\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2023\/03\/20\/566acb33-7ee6-48ae-b0d7-19d5510899bd\/thumbnail\/620x430g3\/67a24b8ca75489dd10fa65b45e8d86e8\/gettyimages-1248904404.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2023\/03\/20\/566acb33-7ee6-48ae-b0d7-19d5510899bd\/thumbnail\/1240x860g3\/465f192dbb2b27e4af18e48fbf9dd24b\/gettyimages-1248904404.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">President Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                RICHARD PIERRIN\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Merchant testified that his IRGC handler told him to &#8220;maybe have somebody murdered.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me \u2014 he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,&#8221; Merchant testified in court.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration lifted some sanctions on Iranian officials as it tried to renegotiate and revive the defunct Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. But Biden imposed sanctions on Iran when those negotiations failed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/07\/17\/6859a185-5c88-4de4-8ca3-56331f35f074\/thumbnail\/620x349\/214700e0bd90afd871bc5c1a9fcfb729\/haley.jpg#\" alt=\"Nikki Haley speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention. \" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/07\/17\/6859a185-5c88-4de4-8ca3-56331f35f074\/thumbnail\/620x349\/214700e0bd90afd871bc5c1a9fcfb729\/haley.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/07\/17\/6859a185-5c88-4de4-8ca3-56331f35f074\/thumbnail\/1240x698\/832858acf4babba01acd6e9a42ef2d5e\/haley.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Nikki Haley speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during Mr. Trump&#8217;s first term in office, has long been critical of Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In an appearance on the &#8220;Build or Break&#8221; podcast this week, Haley talked about Merchant and the IRGC plot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The IRGC, the Iranian regime, paid a Pakistani businessman money to do it,&#8221; Haley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3re9UsTMbOM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>. &#8220;And that&#8217;s the reason why I&#8217;m so adamant about Iran is, they are targeting Americans on American soil. They have tried to get Trump multiple times. We should not be giving them even a breath when they&#8217;re doing things like that. But that&#8217;s because I speak out against the regime. We have to be truth tellers.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>John Bolton, Trump&#8217;s former national security adviser<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/06\/04\/ec5fe5b0-bb9e-42bd-966f-621af7073cf0\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/33b098aa3f8aa1070e527ad20e030f46\/gettyimages-2275313824.jpg#\" alt=\"John Bolton speaks in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 12, 2026. \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/06\/04\/ec5fe5b0-bb9e-42bd-966f-621af7073cf0\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/33b098aa3f8aa1070e527ad20e030f46\/gettyimages-2275313824.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/06\/04\/ec5fe5b0-bb9e-42bd-966f-621af7073cf0\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/f33edd44b00599c8957b6689d2c1cff6\/gettyimages-2275313824.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">John Bolton speaks in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 12, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>John Bolton, Mr. Trump&#8217;s national security adviser during his first term, has also received threats from the Iranian government. Bolton has long been a hard-liner on Iran, and urged Mr. Trump to increase pressure on Iran during the president&#8217;s first term.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Shahram Poursafi, a member of the IRGC, was charged with plotting Bolton&#8217;s murder, the Justice Department announced at the time. The Justice Department said the plot was &#8220;likely in retaliation&#8221; for Soleimani&#8217;s death.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Poursafi was never caught. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/jmd\/media\/1236876\/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remains wanted<\/a> by the FBI. The bureau <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FBIWFO\/status\/2120260265761542171\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added him<\/a> to its list of Most Wanted Terrorists just this week.<\/p>\n<h2>Mike Pompeo, former secretary of state\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/01\/07\/fd39283f-bd1e-48c4-9336-a287153207e7\/thumbnail\/620x480g1\/37f6b7187066c3678dd451049d12fc48\/gettyimages-1190203547.jpg#\" alt=\"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media on Nov. 26, 2019. \" height=\"480\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/01\/07\/fd39283f-bd1e-48c4-9336-a287153207e7\/thumbnail\/620x480g1\/37f6b7187066c3678dd451049d12fc48\/gettyimages-1190203547.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/01\/07\/fd39283f-bd1e-48c4-9336-a287153207e7\/thumbnail\/1240x960g1\/fbe18fd4ae054d2e8219b79cc746e962\/gettyimages-1190203547.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media on Nov. 26, 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mike Pompeo was Mr. Trump&#8217;s secretary of state when Soleimani was killed, and led the Trump administration&#8217;s so-called &#8220;maximum pressure&#8221; campaign against Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pompeo said Soleimani was &#8220;actively plotting&#8221; to take actions &#8220;that would have put dozens, if not hundreds, of American lives at risk&#8221; when the U.S. killed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sources told CBS News in 2022 that Pompeo was another target of the IRGC plot against Bolton.<\/p>\n<h2>Brian Hook, former U.S. special representative for Iran\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/11\/09\/9c9f103b-dd10-45e6-bd42-eb24fc36044a\/thumbnail\/620x447g1\/82db11d288afe1167a6bd64a635e0557\/gettyimages-1341734139.jpg#\" alt=\"Brian Hook, former U.S. special representative to Iran, at a summit in September 2021 in New York City.  \" height=\"447\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/11\/09\/9c9f103b-dd10-45e6-bd42-eb24fc36044a\/thumbnail\/620x447g1\/82db11d288afe1167a6bd64a635e0557\/gettyimages-1341734139.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/11\/09\/9c9f103b-dd10-45e6-bd42-eb24fc36044a\/thumbnail\/1240x894g1\/6655334edf92551e651530e2aa9c4373\/gettyimages-1341734139.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Brian Hook, former U.S. special representative to Iran, at a summit in September 2021 in New York City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Leigh Vogel\/Getty Images for Concordia Summit<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As the U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook also led the &#8220;maximum pressure&#8221; campaign against Iran, drawing Iran&#8217;s ire.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-threats-pompeo-nuclear-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">CBS News reviewed<\/a><\/span> State Department threat assessments sent to Congress citing a &#8220;serious and credible threat&#8221; to the lives of both Pompeo and Hook. The State Department was paying millions of dollars a month to protect Pompeo and Hook with 24-hour security amid threats from Iran, according to a report obtained by CBS News at the time.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-pulls-security-detail-mike-pompeo-brian-hook-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">revoked the security detail<\/a><\/span> for both Hook and Pompeo in Mr. Trump&#8217;s first week back in office in January 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Mark Esper, former defense secretary\u00a0<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/02\/05\/13647632-47ef-401c-aae5-3ac3cc389453\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/1a108b69b147b1756099a45022ba96e2\/gettyimages-1225972157.jpg#\" alt=\"Mark Esper testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on July 9, 2020. \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/02\/05\/13647632-47ef-401c-aae5-3ac3cc389453\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/1a108b69b147b1756099a45022ba96e2\/gettyimages-1225972157.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/02\/05\/13647632-47ef-401c-aae5-3ac3cc389453\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/60c60edbd63361f1582b1884a51c9598\/gettyimages-1225972157.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Mark Esper testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on July 9, 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Michael Reynolds-Pool\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mark Esper, Mr. Trump&#8217;s defense secretary from 2019 to 2020, <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/mark-esper-also-has-government-provided-protection-247-because-of-iran-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">told CBS News<\/a><\/span> in 2022 the government provided him &#8220;protection 24\/7&#8221; when he left the federal government because of threats from Iran.<\/p>\n<h2>Robert O&#8217;Brien, Trump&#8217;s former national security adviser<\/h2>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/07\/27\/18669e45-28b1-405a-8d0e-275729e9cd6f\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/2df78bf444468f43fac0ff84d1337439\/robert-obrien-1177748633.jpg#\" alt=\"Robert O'Brien, President Trump's national security adviser, listens as Mr. Trump speaks about Syria in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, October 23, 2019. \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/07\/27\/18669e45-28b1-405a-8d0e-275729e9cd6f\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/2df78bf444468f43fac0ff84d1337439\/robert-obrien-1177748633.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2020\/07\/27\/18669e45-28b1-405a-8d0e-275729e9cd6f\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/d2dfdf09770459f23d2b57177c54395b\/robert-obrien-1177748633.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Robert O&#8217;Brien at the White House in October 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Robert O&#8217;Brien was Mr. Trump&#8217;s fourth and final national security adviser during Mr. Trump&#8217;s first term in office. &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/secret-service-paid-over-12-million-for-a-years-protection-of-2-trump-advisers-from-potential-iranian-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">reported<\/a><\/span> that O&#8217;Brien received taxpayer-funded security protection due to potential threats from Iran, long after he left his government position.\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  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is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The U.S. officials who have been targeted or threatened in Iranian plots - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the latest U.S. official to be threatened or targeted by Iran, but he is far from the first.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-u-s-officials-who-have-been-targeted-or-threatened-in-iranian-plots\/\" 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