US ‘intensely tracking’ ongoing threat by Iran against current and former US officials, Blinken says

The US government is “intensely tracking” an ongoing threat by Iran against current and former US officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

The US government is “intensely tracking” an ongoing threat by Iran against current and former US officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. “This is something we’ve been tracking very intensely for a long time, an ongoing threat by Iran against a number of senior officials, including former government officials like (former President Donald Trump) and some people who are currently serving in the administration,” the top US diplomat said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show. “It’s something we take very, very seriously. We’re looking at it very carefully,” Blinken said. Law enforcement officials have been concerned about the persistent threat of Iran potentially attempting to assassinate former Trump officials and the former president himself, multiple sources familiar with the matter have previously told CNN. There also has been a noticeable surge of online messaging from Iranian accounts and state-backed media mentioning Trump, which has raised security concerns among US officials. US officials have not detailed the threats against current officials, and Blinken on Wednesday did not reveal further information. Trump was briefed on Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” his campaign said. A spokesperson for ODNI acknowledged the briefing but declined to address any specifics.