Trump gets 'the last laugh' as US kills alleged Iranian assassination plotter

Explainer Explainer Donald Trump gets 'the last laugh' as US kills alleged Iranian assassination plotter Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says US forces killed an Iranian official who led an effort to ​assassinate the US president, which Tehran denies. Three men have been charged in the US over the alleged plot. Wednesday 4 March 2026 22:10, UK 1:14 Share 'Trump got the last laugh' Why you can trust Sky News US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that an Iranian official behind an attempt to ​assassinate Donald Trump in 2024 has been killed by the US military. The US president was the subject of two assassination efforts that year while running for the White House, one of which involved a sniper's bullet grazing his ear. Here's what we know about the other alleged plot. Iran latest - Warship sunk 0:58 Share US submarine 'sank Iranian warship' Trump's revenge on alleged plotter Mr Hegseth said Mr Trump had the "last laugh" after the US forces killed an unnamed Iranian official who led an effort to ​assassinate him. He told reporters during an operational briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday: "Also, yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed. More from US Iran latest: Iranian warship sunk by torpedo - as Spain dismisses US claim it has changed stance on co-operation Talk of what comes next for the Iranian people was conspicuous in its absence from White House briefing Unafraid of the wrath of Donald Trump, Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez has said 'no to war' "Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh." 2:22 Share Can the 'special relationship' survive war in the Middle East? 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 The defence secretary said eliminating the author of the alleged plot was not the initial focus of the war "by any stretch of the imagination" and insisted Mr Trump had never made it a priority for the Pentagon. He said he and others ensured "that those...