Did Iran Actually Try to Assassinate Trump Like Pete Hegseth Claims?

People are asking if Iran tried to assassinate President Donald Trump amid the joint attack on the country by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, 2026.

According to the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, an Iranian leader who was killed in Operation Epic Fury was in charge of a unit that attempted to assassinate the twice-impeached president, per ABC News.

"The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate Trump has been hunted down and killed," said the Secretary of War. He also said that Trump got "the last laugh."

But is this true?

During a press briefing at the Pentagon on March 4, the Defense Secretary said that the Iranian leader was in charge of a unit that had a plot to assassinate Trump back in 2024.

"Yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed," he said. "Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh." However, he did not name the leader.

"We've known for a long time that Iran had intentions on trying to kill President Trump and or other U.S. officials," he claimed. "While that ​was not the focus of the effort by ​any stretch of the imagination, in fact, never raised by ‌the ⁠president or anybody else, I ensured, and others ensured, that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list."

However, Iran has since denied plotting to kill the American president.

The Department of Justice charged an Iranian man back in 2024 with plotting to kill Trump to avenge the death of Commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The commander died in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that Trump ordered.

During a phone call with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump said of the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, "I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first."

Pete Hegseth added that the U.S. was winning in Iran, per Fox News.

"America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy," he said.

The U.S. also sank an Iranian submarine in the Indian Ocean, which was named "The Soleimani," prompting the Defense Secretary to boast, "Looks like POTUS got him twice." The U.S. hadn't sunk a submarine since World War II.

Since the attacks on Iran, at least 1,000 people have been killed in Terahn, per PBS News. The U.S. also killed at least 168 people when it dropped a bomb on an elementary school in Minab, according to NBC News.

“By the time we arrived, the entire school had collapsed on top of the children,” said one mother. “People were pulling out children’s arms and legs. People were pulling out severed heads."

When asked about the murder of the elementary school children, Hegseth said, "All that I know is that we’re investigating that. Of course, we never target civilians, but we’re taking a look at investigating that."