The US Secretary of War has claimed an Iranian assassination squad attempted to kill Donald Trump
Tim Hanlon News Reporter and Benjamin Blosse
14:02, 04 Mar 2026
Donald Trump(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
An Iranian assassination unit ‘tried to murder Donald Trump‘, the US Secretary of War has alleged.
Pete Hegseth informed a press conference that American forces eliminated the commander of the squad, telling journalists they had “hunted down and killed” the leader.
“Also yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed,” he stated. “Iran tried to kill President Trump. And President Trump got the last laugh.”
Regarding American progress in the Middle East conflict, Hegseth declared the US is prevailing in its military campaign against Iran “decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”
He indicated more forces, including jet fighters and bombers, will shortly arrive in the theatre. He added that the US “will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”, reports the Mirror.
It comes on the same day as a torpedo from a US submarine sank an Iranian warship.
Mr Hegseth said that the Tuesday night strike on an Iranian warship was the first such attack on an enemy since the Second World War.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Mr Hegseth said.
“Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
Earlier, authorities said 32 people were rescued from the Iranian ship that was reported in distress off the coast of Sri Lanka.
It was not immediately clear what happened to the ship or how many people were on board.
The US military said previously it had already destroyed 17 Iranian vessels, and that its goal was sinking “the entire navy”.
American forces possess sufficient munitions for continuing operations against Iran, according to Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whilst Hegseth noted the military deployed more sophisticated weapons at the campaign’s outset but was now transitioning to gravity bombs following US control of Iranian airspace, with reserves of the advanced weapons remaining “extremely strong.”
Addressing drones, Hegseth continued: “We have pushed every counter-UAS system possible forward, sparing no expense or capability. Like I said, this does not mean we stop everything.”