Iran almost succeeded in assassinating President Donald Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2022, according to a new book.
Pompeo, who served as the 70th Secretary of State from 2018 – 2021, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while he was staying at a hotel in Paris, according to the book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf.
The alleged incident described in the book, obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its publication next month, has not been publicly reported until now.
It claims the Iranians had identified the Parisian hotel where Pompeo was staying when they reportedly tried to carry out the hit. The book does not provide further details, other than they almost succeeded, according to The Post.
The book also claims the Iranians attempted to assassinate U.S. officials at least three times in the three years before Trump won the 2024 election.
Another bombshell from the book, which has not been reported before, is that Iran recruited hit teams that were active on American soil, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly told Trump’s campaign team in September 2024.
Trump revoked Pompeo’s security protection in January, along with former national security adviser John Bolton. Pompeo had “credible and serious threats” made against him by Iran and could be unsafe without protection, an unnamed former intelligence official told CNN at the time.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked by reporters Thursday whether Trump was considering reinstating the protection for officials, including Pompeo, who had previously faced threats from Iran. “That’s not under consideration right now,” Leavitt said.
Pompeo played a key role in Trump’s first administration in shaping policy on Iran and playing a role in the president’s order to assassinate Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander.
Pompeo’s spokesman declined to comment on the book when approached by The Post. The book is based on interviews with hundreds of people, including White House officials, senior Trump campaign staff and law enforcement.
In Pompeo’s own 2023 book Never Give an Inch, he referred to the “many” threats he and his family have experienced since leaving office.
“While details must be omitted here, other Americans — some former Trump administration officials, some senior American military leaders, and some ordinary Americans — remain on the Iranian kill list,” Pompeo wrote. “Most disturbingly for us and our families, Iran’s assassination campaigns have no expiration date.”
The revelation comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran have reached new heights after Trump authorized strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last weekend.
The Trump administration hoped the strikes on Iran would force the country to accept U.S. conditions and stop taking steps toward obtaining a nuclear weapon.
But the Iranian parliament voted Wednesday to fast-track a proposal to effectively stop cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear oversight agency.
The U.S. had initially planned to conduct a sixth round of negotiations before Israel started striking Iran.
