US and Turkish Officials Question Validity of Iran-Linked Threat to Trump

The warning, which claimed Iran planned to target Air Force One with shoulder-fired missiles near the runway, triggered a massive security overhaul in Turkey. However, after investigating the details, Turkish officials dismissed the intelligence as implausible. American intelligence analysts shared this assessment, labeling the report as low-confidence and Israeli-derived rather than internally generated by the CIA.

Beyond the tactical improbability, US officials suggest the warning was intended to manipulate presidential decision-making. By portraying itself as a protector of the president, the Israeli government aimed to undermine ongoing US-Iran negotiations and strain the growing rapport between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Current and former intelligence sources noted that this incident fits a pattern of Israeli reporting designed to steer Washington toward specific regional objectives.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mocked the incident as a product of faulty intelligence, comparing it to the misinformation that initially drew the US into the current conflict. Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, echoed these concerns, warning that relying on liaison intelligence from allies can lead to catastrophic policy errors if that information is used to drive war-time decision-making.