Trump on security threats: "There was a big risk, Iran wanted to target the plane"
The US President addressed the unusual flight change on the way to the NATO summit and clarified that he acted in accordance with the instructions of the military and the Secret Service due to threats against him. Trump added that the US now has complete control over the Strait of Hormuz and emphasized: "I would be the last person to trust Iran, they have lied to me consistently."
US President Donald Trump addressed the security threats against him last night on the way to the NATO summit and clarified that the flight change was made in accordance with the instructions of security officials and the military.
"I go by the instructions of the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to switch to another flight, another plane. I do what they say. I assume there was a threat there," he said.
The President added: "I didn't ask much about it. I get a lot of threats. Actually, I think the plane I was flying on was at greater risk, because apparently that's the plane the Iranians would target."
In his remarks, Trump also referred to the Qatari plane that was sent to the UK and noted that it was done at the request of American soldiers. His statement comes against the backdrop of ongoing security tensions:
"There are many threats against me that you don't know about. Every significant president has many threats. I don't worry about anything, you know my approach."
Later, Trump spoke firmly about stabilizing control in the Persian Gulf and his uncompromising distrust of the regime in Tehran:
"With Iran, it's going just fine, we are in complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, no one else. I don't trust Iran. I am the last person to trust Iran, they have lied to me consistently. We have complete control of the Strait of Hormuz now, not them. There was a country there that was the bully of the Middle East, and they are no longer."
