Updated 4 March 2026 at 22:44 IST

'Hunted Down, Killed': US Says Iranian Commander Who Tried To Assassinate Trump In 2024 Has Been Eliminated

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday stated that the Iranian commander who tried to assassinate President Donald Trump in 2024 has been “hunted down and killed”.

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'Hunted Down, Killed': US Says Iranian Commander Who Tried To Assassinate Trump Has Been Eliminated
'Hunted Down, Killed': US Says Iranian Commander Who Tried To Assassinate Trump Has Been Eliminated | Image: X

Washington DC: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday stated that the Iranian commander who tried to assassinate President Donald Trump in 2024 has been “hunted down and killed” in the ongoing ‘Operation Epic Fury’ against the Middle Eastern country.

“Yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump was hunted down and killed.”

“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh," Hegseth added while addressing a press conference. He, however, did not name the individual.

The 2024 Assassination Attempt

Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents.

In July 2024, a man shot at Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in broad daylight when he was campaigning for the Presidential elections. Trump, who was then the former President of USA, was left injured after the assassination bid as the bullet shot by the assailant grazed his ear.

A 20-year-old man named Thomas Crooks had fired eight rounds at Trump from the roof of a nearby building. The US Secret Service shot and killed Crooks on the spot, preventing him from firing more shots at Trump.

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The US Justice Department had charged an Iranian man had been charged by  in ​connection with an alleged ​plot ⁠ordered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assassinate Trump.

‘We’ll Have Control Over Iranian Skies In Few Days': US

While addressing the conference, Hegseth also said that the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control over Iranian skies in few days. "The US will use an unlimited stockpile of precision gravity bombs," Hegseth added. "We are punching them while they are down," he further said.

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“Starting last night, and to be completed in a few days... the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies.”
 

"Iran cannot outlast us. We're going to ensure that we set the tone and tempo of this fight. That's why stories that try to make it look like we're limited…the only limits we have in this is US President Donald Trump's desire to achieve specific effects on behalf of American people. We've known for a long time that Iran had intentions on trying to kill President Trump...while that was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, never raised by the President...I ensured that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list," he added.

Furthermore, Hegseth stated that the mission of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ is to obliterate Iran's missiles and drones and facilities that produce them, annihilate its navy and critical security infrastructure, and sever their pathway to nuclear weapons.

“Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb….We are just getting started."

Also Read- At Least 80 killed In US Strike on Iranian warship in Indian Ocean, Says Sri Lankan Minister. Is The Theatre of War Expanding?

Published By : Nidhi Sinha

Published On: 4 March 2026 at 19:10 IST