Former President Trump spoke about Iran’s assassination plots against him during a visit to North Carolina on Wednesday. He found it "strange" that the Iranian president had heavy security while in the U.S. for the United Nations.
While discussing jobs in Mint Hill, near Charlotte, Trump brought up the potential Iranian plot to kill him.
"We have the president of Iran here this week, heavily guarded, and yet they’re threatening our former president," Trump said. "It’s certainly a strange situation."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.
The assassination plot was revealed in FBI documents that Sen. Charles Grassley released earlier this month. The documents also mentioned President Biden, Nikki Haley, and other officials as possible targets.
Trump said if he were president and another former leader was threatened, he would issue a clear warning. "We’d blow their largest cities to smithereens if they harmed anyone," he said.
"But now, we lack the leadership to do that," Trump added. "We have two people just watching, and when you do that, trouble follows."
He called for unity, urging everyone to "pull together" to stop threats like these and restore American strength and prestige.
On Tuesday, Trump’s campaign confirmed that he was briefed on "real and specific threats" from Iran regarding the assassination plot.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, stated that the plot was part of Iran’s attempt to "destabilize and sow chaos" in the U.S.
The FBI also confirmed Iranian hackers tried to provide stolen Trump campaign files to the Democratic presidential campaign last week.