President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the original aircraft he flew on during his return from Turkey posed a higher risk because Iran would have targeted it, according to N12. Trump said he followed Secret Service advice to switch planes.
President Donald Trump said early Wednesday that the original aircraft he flew on during his return from Turkey posed a higher risk because Iran would have targeted it, according to N12. "I think actually the plane I flew on was at higher risk, it's the plane I think they would have tended to choose," Trump told reporters. He reiterated that he followed Secret Service advice to switch planes.
The remarks, made at approximately 04:48 Jerusalem, expand on his statement at 04:17 Jerusalem that he does not trust Iran and heeded the agency's guidance, as The Zioneer reported. The thread of reports on the incident began with a Wall Street Journal report on July 24 that Israel had shared intelligence about an Iranian plan to use shoulder-fired missiles against Air Force One. On July 25, the White House confirmed a credible Iranian missile threat forced the plane change. On Tuesday evening at 20:25 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published a series of updates: Channel 14 reported that Trump was evacuated by truck to an alternative aircraft; President Trump acknowledged he followed Secret Service advice due to a threat; and he explicitly stated he does not trust Iran. The corroboration evolved from an initial media report to on-record confirmation from the White House and the president himself.
The development comes amid a broader confrontation between Washington and Tehran. As The Zioneer has reported, President Trump has characterized Iran as dishonest in negotiations and has authorized U.S. airstrikes on Iranian military targets. The U.S. military remains on heightened alert regarding Iran.
What remains unclear is the precise nature of the Iranian plan and the details of the evacuation itself. Trump told reporters he did not ask for specifics about the threat, and the White House has declined to elaborate on operational details.
6 developments
- StrongWhite House confirms Iranian missile threat forced Trump to switch planes on return from Turkey
- DevelopingReuters: credible shoulder-fired missile threat forced secret Trump plane switch in Turkey
- DevelopingTrump: Qatari Air Force One to be grounded in about a month for security upgrades
- DevelopingTrump leans toward approving F-35 sale to Turkey, praises Erdogan's help
Source and signal
- Open-source intake