Trump pulls security detail from John Bolton, allegedly a target of Tehran

US president Donald Trump has ended Secret Service protection for John Bolton, his former national security adviser turned political antagonist, despite an alleged threat to Bolton’s life from Iran.

“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection,” Bolton said in a statement on X on Tuesday, adding that Joe Biden had given the protection despite his criticism of Biden's policies.

“The American people can judge for themselves which president made the right call,” he said, referencing Iranian threats, including an alleged plot against Trump himself.

The protection stemmed from Bolton’s role in Trump’s administration, where he was a key figure in the decision to kill Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force in January 2020.

In retaliation, the IRGC allegedly sought to orchestrate Bolton’s assassination.

“The Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in 2022 for attempting to hire a hitman to target me. That threat remains today,” Bolton added.

According to the US Justice Department, Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian operative, attempted to pay $300,000 to have Bolton killed in Washington DC or Maryland.

The decision to cut Bolton’s security comes as Trump is shaping his administration after his return to the White House. On his first day, Trump also announced he was firing Brian Hook, a former special envoy to Iran and an architect of sanctions against Tehran, after he served in the presidential transition.

US law enforcement has said Hook, like Bolton and Trump, was a target of an Iranian assassination plot.