Iranian Assassin Killed in US Airstrike, Claims Defense Secretary

The United States has confirmed the death of a high-ranking Iranian military official believed to be behind a plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that the leader of the Iranian unit responsible for the assassination attempt was killed in a recent U.S. airstrike.

According to Hegseth, the targeted individual was a key figure in Iran's elite Quds Force, a special operations unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Quds Force has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government due to its involvement in numerous attacks and plots against American interests both at home and abroad.

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The U.S. strike that eliminated the Iranian commander is seen as a significant blow to Tehran's efforts to retaliate against the United States for the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force. Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, an action that brought the two countries to the brink of war.

"This was a decisive victory for America," Hegseth stated in a press conference. "We will not tolerate any threats against our citizens, especially from those who seek to do us harm." The defense secretary did not provide additional details about the airstrike or the identity of the Iranian official killed, citing operational security concerns.

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