SAEDNEWS: Trump's decision to remove the physical protection of Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, and Brian Hook has caused a stir in American media, with all agreeing that Trump has sent a signal to Iran, leaving the door open for the country to target these individuals for the assassination and revenge of the late General Qasem Soleimani.
According to SAEDNEWS, Syrian sources reported that Trump’s removal of physical protection from Pompeo, Brian Hook, and John Bolton was seen by Western media as a signal to Tehran from Donald Trump. The first media outlet to broadcast this news globally was The New York Times, which was then picked up by other American media outlets quoting the famous and widely circulated newspaper.
The New York Times wrote in its report: On Thursday, President Trump removed security protection from his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a former senior adviser, Brian Hook. This occurred despite warnings from the Biden administration that both individuals were facing ongoing threats from Iran, especially due to actions they took during Trump’s presidency against Iran. Pompeo and Hook were part of teams that adopted harsh policies toward Iran, including the airstrike that led to the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran, in early 2020.
The newspaper claimed that threats against Trump also still exist, as the assassination of General Soleimani heightened tensions with Iran. During the years between his two terms, Trump repeatedly asked for more protection due to threats from Iran and even requested additional military equipment toward the end of his electoral campaign. Such protection is usually only afforded to sitting presidents.
Trump removed security protection from Pompeo and Hook last Tuesday, two days after canceling the protection for his former National Security Adviser, John Bolton.
In response to questions from reporters about the removal of security protection, Trump said, “When you have protection, you can’t have it for life.” He added, “I mean, there are always dangers.” However, he did not answer a question about whether presidents should be provided with lifetime protection.
The newspaper continued by highlighting that the Biden administration had also informed the new administration of the ongoing threats Iran posed against Pompeo, Hook, and Bolton, writing, “John Bolton, who parted ways with Trump’s administration after serious disagreements, said in an interview that he had been informed of threats against him.”
Trump has stated that he does not want anyone who worked with Pompeo during his presidency to be involved in his new term. He recently dismissed Hook from his position at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
Many Republican senators in the U.S. Congress declined to comment on Trump's decision. Senator Mike Rounds, a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee only mentioned that the threats from Iran against Pompeo were known but refrained from providing further details.
Threats from Iran are seen as a significant security concern for American officials. In the fall of 2024, President Biden, through his advisers, warned Iran that the killing of a former U.S. official would be considered an act of war. This warning also included Trump, who criticized Biden for not taking adequate measures to prevent Iran’s threats.
In light of these threats, Trump decided to remove security from Pompeo and Hook. This decision could have broader political and security consequences and impact the protection of officials after they leave office.
The Washington Post also wrote: Trump removed U.S. government security protection from Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State, and his senior assistant, Brian Hook, both of whom faced threats from Iran due to their hardline stances against the Islamic Republic during Trump’s first term. This action represents steps that Trump took only a few days after returning to the White House, targeting individuals or aides he considered enemies.
Pompeo and Hook were public faces of the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, which had offered a reduction of sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear program. Iran holds both of them responsible for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani on January 3, 2020.
Biden administration officials informed Trump’s team earlier this month about ongoing threats from Iran against Pompeo, Hook, Bolton, and others and explained why Biden's administration had extended their protection. A senior former Biden official familiar with the issue, who wished to remain anonymous, called the move “highly irresponsible” and emphasized that Trump’s officials were “well aware of active threats” against former government officials.
CNN also claimed: The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Iran was seeking revenge on Trump’s senior officials who were involved in the attack, including Pompeo and Bolton, both of whom are extreme opponents of Iran. According to the Department of Justice’s report, Bolton and Pompeo were the targets of an unsuccessful Iranian assassination plot.
A former intelligence official told CNN that he was concerned about these actions. He continued, saying, “Someone will be killed; the threats from Iran against Pompeo and Bolton are serious and credible.”
Another former national security official said that Trump’s decision seemed to be motivated by “pure malice and hostility” and that Trump should hope that the Iranians do not harm any of these individuals.
CNN’s report also stated that Trump himself remains a target for Iran, as he played a role in the plot to assassinate Soleimani.
According to News Online, about three months ago, Pompeo participated in Trump’s election campaign, delivering a short speech. However, in that brief speech, he claimed, “In the previous term, we never once apologized on behalf of America. In the next Trump administration, we will destroy the Ring of Fire and defend Israel.” It is clear that by “Ring of Fire,” he meant the resistance axis and Iran.
Brian Hook followed the same rhetoric, and just a few days ago, news broke of his dismissal from Trump’s team. Now, news of the removal of physical protection for these two individuals has caused a storm in U.S. media and political circles. Newspapers across the political spectrum and Republican and Democratic news channels have all weighed in, with the general response being that Trump is sending a positive signal to Tehran and intends to reach an agreement with Iran, even if it means sacrificing these three individuals for his political aims.
Some domestic media and analytical channels have also speculated, based on discussions with experts and their interpretations of such news, that the original purpose of the protection for Pompeo was his role in the assassination of General Soleimani and the subsequent threat of Iranian revenge. They argue that these three individuals are now seen as "spent assets" by Trump, who blames them for the failure of his diplomacy during his first term. Others say the message from Trump is clear: “Trump does not want to start a war with Iran, and anyone around him who tries to push him toward that will be sidelined.”
These days, many voices claim that Trump is determined to start “big wars,” especially from the more hardline factions inside and outside of Iran, particularly the exile opposition, which harbors delusions of a U.S. military strike against Iran. However, such “posturing for deterrence” is expected. In practice, Trump has shown that he does not seek war.
However, Donald Trump, in response to a reporter’s question about Bolton, described him as, “I thought he was very vague, but I used him well because every time people saw me walking into a meeting with John Bolton behind me, they thought he would attack them because he was a warmonger. He was the one who, along with Cheney and others, convinced Bush to make the terrible decision to blow up the Middle East. We blew up the Middle East and left. We gained nothing but a lot of death. We killed many people, and John Bolton was one of them, a foolish man.”
Two weeks before entering the White House, Trump reposted a controversial video in which Sachs claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence on involving the U.S. in war stemmed from his long-standing strategy of destroying regimes that supported groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
He continued, “Since 1995, Netanyahu has believed that the only way to rid ourselves of Hamas and Hezbollah is to overthrow the governments supporting these groups, namely Iraq, Syria, and Iran. And he continues to try to push us into war with Iran, whether today or this week.”
Sachs added, “He has dragged us into endless wars, and due to his influence in U.S. politics, he’s pursued his own path, even though the reason for the war was entirely fabricated.”
Trump even clashed with Netanyahu to show that he does not want war because he knows the game. Now that the regional situation is undergoing an unprecedented transition, the U.S. sees no reason to incur the cost of war with Iran, which he explicitly mentioned at the Davos virtual meeting.
According to News Online, evidence of Donald Trump’s actions and behavior clearly shows that he states, “My war is not with Iran; it’s with China and its economy.” Iran is an unnecessary war that the U.S. cannot afford while overlooking China and Russia. Trump’s issue is not with Iran, nor the nuclear issue. His sole issue is trade and the "Chinese dragon," which is waking up and consuming the world. Just as Trump, with the help of Musk, has gone into tariff wars in Europe, South America, and Canada, this shows that the U.S. is likely facing an economic recession in the near future. This recession could be mitigated through tariffs and by annexing Greenland and Panama, closing Chinese and Russian trade routes in Alaska and incorporating Greenland’s mineral wealth into the U.S. He also wants to end wars in the Middle East and Europe in hopes of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which he seems to be on track to receive because his pressure was so effective that it ended the Gaza war.
Trump’s main concern is not Iran, and this doesn’t mean he wants to reduce U.S. hegemony in the region. It means he knows that war with Iran is a mistake and offers no benefit for the U.S. Plus, the potential benefit from it likely favors China and the South China Sea, and Russia's greater influence in Europe. In this scenario, it’s Trump’s America that ends up with nothing. Even the U.S.’s strategic focus has shifted from the Middle East to Africa. The Middle East no longer holds the same importance for the U.S. because the future world is not about oil—it's about technology, chips, and precious metals. This is why Saudi Arabia is willing to invest $600 billion in the U.S., recognizing that oil no longer holds the same importance. This, too, is a topic we will discuss further in the future.
