By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has warned the Iranian government to stop all plotting against Republican Donald Trump and said that Washington would view any attempt on his life as an act of war, a U.S. official said on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed regularly on the threats and directed his team to address Iranian plots against Americans.
At Biden's direction, top U.S. officials have sent messages to the highest levels of the Iranian government warning Tehran to cease all plotting against Trump and former U.S. officials, the official said.
The Iranians have been told that Washington would view it as an act of war if any attempt was carried out against Trump's life, the official said.
Iran has denied interfering in U.S. affairs. Tehran, in turn, says Washington has interfered in its affairs for decades, citing events ranging from a 1953 coup against a prime minister to the 2020 killing of its military commander in a U.S. drone strike.
In January 2020, Trump ordered a U.S. air strike that killed Iran's then-top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, after receiving intelligence that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on U.S. diplomats and armed forces in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Trump, a Republican, is now seeking a return to the White House after losing the 2020 election to Biden. Trump is now in a battle against Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the Nov. 5 election.
His campaign said on Sept. 24 that Trump was briefed by U.S. intelligence officials on the alleged threat from Iran.
The White House said the United States has been closely tracking Iranian threats against Trump for years and it warned of "severe consequences" if Tehran was to attack any U.S. citizen.
"We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these brazen threats. Should Iran attack any of our citizens, including those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences," said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
He said "appropriate agencies are continuously and promptly providing the former president’s security detail with evolving threat information."
"Additionally, President Biden has reiterated his directive that the United States Secret Service should receive every resource, capability, and protective measure required to address those evolving threats to the former president," Savett said.