The man who masterminded the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, is dead.
“President Trump got the last laugh,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday during a news conference to update Operation Epic Fury, Newsmax reported.
Hegseth confirmed the Iranian operative was “hunted down and killed.”
Operation Epic Fury is a U.S.-Israeli campaign with a mission of dismantling Iran’s missile, drone, naval, and nuclear threat infrastructure.
Hegseth said the person linked to the assassination plot was not the main focus of the operation.
However, he said the strike occurred after U.S. forces “eventually had the opportunity” to target those who were “trying to get at Americans.”
“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth said.
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Iranian state television previously aired imagery tied to the 2024 Butler, rally shooting with a warning that “this time, the bullet won’t miss.”
The Pentagon briefing described the first four days as a rapid degradation of Iran’s ability to project power.
Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine said Iran’s missile launches were down 86% from the first day of fighting. There has been a further 23% drop in the past 24 hours.
Caine also said U.S. forces have struck more than 2,000 targets so far.
Hegseth boasted what he called U.S.-Israeli control of Iranian airspace “in under a week,” as he described a pace that will keep Iranian launchers, production sites, and leadership nodes under constant pressure.
Operation Epic Fury started Feb. 28 under U.S. Central Command.
Early strikes targeted Iran’s security apparatus, including missile and drone launch sites, air defenses, and command-and-control facilities.
Hegseth and Caine emphasized the campaign’s objective is to “prevent Iran from threatening Americans and allies and severing any pathway to a nuclear weapon, while maintaining what they described as strong U.S. defensive stockpiles and layered regional air and missile defenses,” the outlet reported.
