Trump Revokes Pompeo Security Detail Says Report
In a move that has raised eyebrows and sparked a flurry of speculation, President Donald Trump has reportedly revoked the security details of three high-profile former officials: his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, and his former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
The decision comes amid ongoing threats from Iran’s theocratic regime, which continues to target these individuals for their roles in the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander and key figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The backdrop to this decision is anything but ordinary. Iran has not been subtle about its intentions. As recently as 2023, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace division, openly declared Iran’s goal of avenging Soleimani’s death by targeting Trump, Pompeo, and others responsible for the operation. His chilling words—“God willing, we are looking to kill Trump [and] Pompeo”—left no doubt about the regime’s lethal intent.
For Pompeo and Hook, the stakes have been extraordinarily high. Both men were instrumental in implementing the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, an approach that aimed to cripple the regime economically and politically.
This included reimposing sanctions, isolating Iran diplomatically, and cracking down on its malign activities across the Middle East. Their involvement in the strike that eliminated Soleimani only made them higher-priority targets for Tehran.
Pompeo, despite being one of Trump’s most loyal allies during his first term, has since had a more complex relationship with the former president. While he praised Trump’s border policies, he also criticized Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents and contributing to deficit increases—comments that may have strained their alliance.
The revocation of security details is particularly striking given the very real threats these individuals face. Iranian-backed assassination plots on U.S. soil have been uncovered repeatedly in recent years.
In one alarming case, a Pakistani national named Asif Merchant, with alleged ties to Iran, was arrested for plotting a series of assassinations, including one targeting Trump. Merchant reportedly met with a confidential source in New York to outline his scheme, which was later thwarted by the FBI.
Just months later, federal officials exposed yet another plot involving multiple individuals linked to Iran. This conspiracy targeted not only Trump but also an Iranian dissident and two Jewish Americans. The indictment revealed a web of charges, including murder-for-hire, money laundering, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.