Araghchi Mocks 'Fake Intelligence' Amid Skepticism Over Iranian Plot Against Trump In Turkey

US mainstream media has this week been dominated by claims that an Iranian assassination threat prompted President Donald Trump to secretly switch planes while flying out of Turkey last month, with Air Force One serving as a decoy while he flew out on a smaller military aircraft.

The details of the 'escape' from alleged danger are wild, and continue to be subject of widespread scrutiny and questioning, given the American president was actually covertly transferred into a catering container, which then ferried him to a small C-32A aircraft, according to reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times.

The claim was that Iranian covert forces could target Air Force One at the airport in Ankara using shoulder-fired rockets, or MANPADS, from perhaps just one kilometer away

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday while speaking of the broader war and the status of the Hormuz Strait appeared to gently mock the ordeal and controversy surrounding it. He referenced "fake intelligence" in the broad comments.

Importantly the words come as some like Turkey are accusing Israel of feeding Washington 'fabricated' intelligence, which then led to the dramatic Trump plane-switching escapade.

FM Araghchi asserted that the United States has "has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures," especially when launching its war on Iran.

But that's when he could be interpreted as mocking the Air Force One drama, continuing on X: "Worse than fake news is fake intelligence."

Some analysts have questioned why at this point in the conflict, when Iranian government and armed forces have clearly survived nearly six months of everything the US military has thrown at it, Iran would even see the need to assassinate a head of state.

Such an action would only invite a much greater military response than has been seen before, and the Islamic Republic seeks to keep its current leverage over Hormuz, wanting to keep things at a low-burn headed into US midterm elections.

The Washington Post’s @DanLamothe, who broke the news of Trump’s secret plane switch via a catering truck, joins OutFront to share new reporting that the CIA had “low confidence” in Israeli intel that Trump was facing a threat from Iran: “Given the seriousness of the issue… they… pic.twitter.com/CPROjMMFhG

— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) August 13, 2026

In the meantime there are fresh reports that the US intelligence community itself is skeptical of the assassination plot claims:

US intelligence officials were skeptical of an alleged Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump during his trip to Turkiye for the NATO summit, which prompted a secretive plan to fly him out of the country in an alternative military aircraft.

The assassination threat was relayed by the Israeli government to the CIA, where analysts did not view the intelligence as compelling and conveyed that skepticism to Trump administration officials, Washington Post reported, quoting current and former US officials familiar with the intelligence said.

Another official called the reports of threats against Trump’s life “Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence,” Washington Post added.

However, the Secret Service is trained to take basically every threat seriously and move fast, especially while the president is traveling through foreign countries, or in potentially hostile environments. 

More and more skepticism has emerged of late across the political spectrum related to official Washington claims related to the Iran conflict...

The story of Trump secretly switching airplanes is actually a great example of how we got into the war with Iran…

“Israeli-derived, not U.S.-generated, and viewed as low confidence” by our own intelligence agencies. pic.twitter.com/zWKkWxYBat

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) August 13, 2026

"As the President has said, he has faced numerous threats on his life, including ones from Iran, and every measure is taken to ensure his safety," a US official said in a statement.

"The United States Secret Service’s core mission is protecting the President, which they achieved," the statement added.

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Meanwhile, expect some of Iran's Lego videos to drop next...

Washington Post: Trump underwent an elaborate plan to hide his flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month using a catering food truck amid Iran threat. pic.twitter.com/ySqAT6No94

— IRI Embassy in Armenia (@iraninyerevan) August 11, 2026