Trump on Iran’s Hit List: Secret Air Force One Decoy Mission Revealed
US President Donald Trump’s security has been significantly tightened amid continuing tensions with Iran, with extraordinary measures reportedly taken to protect him from a potential Iranian attack.
According to reports, Trump secretly switched to an alternate aircraft while returning to the United States from the NATO summit in Turkey last month. While Trump and a small number of officials traveled on a separate aircraft, much of the White House staff and members of the media boarded the presidential Boeing 747, commonly known as Air Force One.
The presidential aircraft was reportedly used as a decoy after US officials received what they considered credible intelligence about a possible Iranian missile threat targeting Air Force One.
The security operation was highly unusual. Trump was reportedly transported between the airport and the alternate aircraft inside a catering truck, while the aircraft carrying the media and other officials was instructed to keep its window shades closed during takeoff from Ankara.
The White House has provided few details about the intelligence that prompted the operation. However, the episode highlights the extent to which concerns about Trump’s personal safety have grown during the escalating conflict with Iran.
Trump has previously linked Iranian threats against him to US military action against Tehran. Shortly after the United States launched its military campaign against Iran, Trump told ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl that Iran had attempted to target him and that he had acted first.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later echoed the president’s position, saying Iran had tried to kill Trump and that the president had “got the last laugh” after an Iranian figure allegedly involved in an assassination unit was killed in a US strike.
Iranian threats against Trump date back several years. Following Trump’s decision in January 2020 to authorize the US strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, Iranian leaders repeatedly vowed to retaliate against Trump and senior US officials.
American authorities later uncovered several alleged plots targeting Trump and people associated with his administration.
In 2022, the Biden administration warned Iran against targeting US citizens after US officials uncovered an alleged Iranian plan to assassinate former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.
In July 2024, US authorities arrested Pakistani national Asif Merchant, who was accused of having links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and plotting to assassinate Trump and other US officials. Merchant was convicted in March 2026.
Another Afghan national, Farhad Shakeri, was later charged by US prosecutors in connection with an alleged assassination plot against Trump. Prosecutors claimed Shakeri had received instructions from an IRGC official. He remains at large.
The alleged Iranian plots came as Trump was also facing other serious security threats during his 2024 presidential campaign.
In July 2024, Trump was wounded when a gunman opened fire during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Two months later, a man armed with a rifle was arrested after Secret Service agents spotted him hiding near the area where Trump was playing golf in Florida.
The combination of these incidents appears to have reinforced Trump’s concerns about his personal security.
According to New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, the Iranian threats and the assassination attempts Trump faced during the 2024 campaign have become intertwined in his thinking.
“For Trump himself, Iran and this feeling of being under threat is constant,” she said.
Trump has also reportedly made comments, sometimes jokingly, about the dangers associated with being president and the possibility of becoming a target for assassination.
The situation intensified further after US military operations against Iran. Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran that any attempt to assassinate him would trigger a severe American response.
In July, Trump claimed on social media that Iran had threatened to “assassinate, or attempt to assassinate” him. He warned that US missiles were ready to strike Iran if Tehran acted on those threats.
Anti-Trump messages have also appeared publicly in Iran. At the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, participants reportedly carried a banner bearing the words “Kill Trump.” Days later, a large mural in central Tehran depicted Trump lying in a coffin alongside messages calling for his death and revenge.
Iran has denied involvement in previous alleged assassination plots against Trump. Nevertheless, the threats, past cases and continuing military confrontation have led US security officials to maintain heightened protection around the president.
The secret flight from Turkey has also raised questions about the political optics of protecting Trump in such an elaborate manner.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed Iran as a weakened adversary and emphasized American military superiority. The decision to secretly move him away from Air Force One, while allowing the aircraft to continue as a potential decoy, nevertheless demonstrates that US officials continue to take Iranian capabilities and threats seriously.
When reporters later asked Trump about the unusual journey, he acknowledged that he was aware of being considered a high-value target.
“I have read all the time I’m number one on their list,” Trump told reporters.
The episode underscores the deeply personal dimension of the US-Iran confrontation for Trump. Despite his repeated claims that Iran has been severely weakened, concerns about possible Iranian retaliation remain a major factor in the president’s security arrangements.
Source: BBC
