(NewsNation) — The Secret Service says it is aware of threatening imagery on Iranian state television of President Trump after the Butler assassination attempt, and in Farsi, a threat against him was written, “This time the bullet won’t miss.”
In a statement, the Secret Service said: “The US Secret Service is aware of this photo. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”
It is one of the strongest threats made by Iranians against the president himself. The Iranian Parliament speaker and some other officials have vowed retaliation against the U.S. in different ways if an attack is carried out.
The threat level for Al Udeid U.S. Air Force Base in Qatar, which houses much of Central Command, has been lowered, a military official confirmed to NewsNation.
This comes as officials indicated there were no imminent plans for the U.S. to attack Iran. Earlier in the week, the U.S. had evacuated forces from Al Udeid and other bases across the Middle East because of concern that Iran could retaliate against them if there was a U.S. attack.
Now, service members who were evacuated from Al Udeid are returning, the official confirmed.
The New York Times first reported the threat lowering.
President Trump is appearing to back off immediate action against Iran after promising antigovernment forces that “help is coming” earlier this week and cautioning the regime against killing protesters — warnings Iran’s leaders ignored.
While Iran remains under a nationwide internet blackout, reports from the country indicate that street protests, which rocked the country a week ago, have largely died down after a bloodbath at the hands of state security forces. Thousands of protesters were killed, and tens of thousands have been detained, according to human rights groups.
While the White House says military strikes are still on the table, they do not appear imminent, with regional allies urging Trump to delay an attack.