The New York Times reported Saturday that a credible threat from Iranian proxies prompted President Trump to switch his aircraft on the return flight from the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The intelligence was not specific to the new Qatari-donated plane but focused on the president's aircraft generally. Trump made a stopover in England to change planes.
The New York Times reported late Saturday that a credible threat from Iranian proxies prompted President Trump to switch his aircraft on the return flight from the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month. According to multiple sources, the intelligence warning was not specific to the new Qatari-donated interim Air Force One, but rather indicated a general attempt to target the president on any aircraft he boarded. Trump made a stopover in England to change planes.
The report comes amid a series of security concerns surrounding Trump's travel. As The Zioneer reported on July 20, Trump had announced that the Qatari plane would be grounded for security upgrades including missile defense systems. On July 12, Western intelligence reportedly warned of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump during his Turkey visit, leading to the aircraft replacement for the return flight.
The New York Times report did not specify whether the threat has been fully neutralized, and the White House has not yet commented on the story.
2 developments
- StrongAnalysis: Iran left talks not over Trump's threats but because it disbelieves them, channel argues
- DevelopingAnalysis: Why Trump abandoned his positions on Iran, according to Gplanet
- DevelopingTrump: 'We had a closed deal with Iran, then something didn't sit well with them'
- StrongTrump: Iran walked away from deal, then attacked ship with drone within two hours
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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