US Senate minority leader calls for briefing on alleged Iranian threat to Trump

The US Senate minority leader called Monday for an immediate congressional briefing on an alleged Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump and the measures reportedly taken to evacuate him from Türkiye.

"The Senate should be immediately briefed on the Iranian threats against the President," as well as the "extraordinary measures" taken to get him out of Türkiye following a July NATO summit there, senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said on US social media platform X.

"It is unacceptable that Congress was kept in the dark and instead learned about this serious threat through press reports," he added.

Schumer also criticized the Trump administration over its handling of the conflict with Iran, accusing the president of putting US personnel "in harm's way" by pursuing what he described as an unnecessary war.

He called on Congress to reassert its constitutional authority and work to end the conflict, saying Republicans should not prioritize Trump's "luxury and vanity" over US security.

US media reported Monday that Trump secretly departed Türkiye aboard a military aircraft last month after an alleged Iranian threat against him emerged during his visit to the Turkish capital for a NATO summit.

According to The Washington Post, Trump initially boarded an older Air Force One aircraft visible to television cameras before being transferred to a smaller C-32A using an airport catering truck.

The maneuver was reportedly intended to conceal his location from the public, journalists, and some White House staff.

The operation came one night after US forces renewed strikes on Iran following a breakdown in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.