Target: Trump

"A third-rate comedy" act as described by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, when he dismissed US claims of an assassination plot against Donald Trump, quipping that Tehran has no need to eliminate a leader who is "already destroying the United States" on his own! 😂😂😂

[This specific quote was said to have gone viral as a social media meme around August 12–13, 2026. Whether this were the exact words from Araghchi, I cannot ascertain at this point in time].

According to investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Israeli intelligence had provided the White House with tactical data detailing a fresh Iranian plot to assassinate the US President. Driven by a desire to avenge the 2020 killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the threat specifically warned of advanced operational designs – such as a potential localized surface-to-air missile strike. 

And as later detailed by the same WSJ, this threat prompted a high-stakes security maneuver at the Ankara NATO Summit (July 7-8, 2026) in Türkiye, where the Secret Service used a catering truck as a ruse to secretly switch the President from Air Force One to a heavily defended military transport jet. 

While the protective measures were executed immediately, US intelligence analysts have maintained a level of skepticism regarding the low credibility or unverified nature of certain elements within the specific Israeli warning.