DHS says Iran could 'target' US officials if Tehran thinks regime’s survival is at risk

WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of Homeland Security's new bulletin revealed that Iran could try to "target" US government officials if the leaders in Iran believe "the stability or survivability" of their regime is at risk, according to CNN.

The bulletin also mentioned other scenarios for potential Iranian targeting of US officials. It included Tehran considering them to be involved in the deaths of senior Iranian leaders or believes US airstrikes will continue.

DHS bulletin states Iran could look to 'target' US officials

Iran fired missiles toward a US military base in Qatar on Monday, June 23, in retaliation for the US strikes on Iran on Saturday, two officials familiar with the matter informed CNN.

However, the DHS bulletin is one of the clearest connections so far drawn by US intelligence and law enforcement analysis regarding a potential violent backlash against civilian government officials, per the outlet.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement to CNN, "It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict."

She added, "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crimes."

Meanwhile, the bulletin does not specify what the "targeting" of US officials might look like, but the Justice Department earlier alleged that Iran has tried to kill President Donald Trump and his former national security adviser, John Bolton, in retaliation for a 2020 US military strike, per the outlet.

The DHS bulletin stated, "We have not yet observed Tehran threaten this kind of retaliatory action in response to the US airstrikes, and recent law enforcement action could challenge Iran’s ability to execute a plot against US officials in the short-term."

Interestingly, CNN reported in 2024 that intelligence about a threat from Iran to Trump led the Secret Service to step up security around the then-presidential candidate.

However, it did not prevent a security lapse, allowing a 20-year-old shooter, unaffiliated with Iran, to nearly assassinate Trump during a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the new DHS bulletin, which has been labeled "For Official Use Only," adds more context to the department’s public warning on June 22 of a "heightened threat environment" in the US, while citing the possibility of "low-level cyberattacks" and continued potential of lone-wolf attacks.

Donald Trump floats possibility of regime change in Iran after bombing nuclear sites 

Donald Trump floated the idea of a regime change in Iran after the US bombed the country’s nuclear sites over the weekend.

However, this was in contrast to the opinions some officials in his administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressed after the strikes.

The POTUS wrote on Truth Social, "It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!"

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said that Trump was "simply raising a question" when he brought up the topic.

The commander-in-chief's aides, including Vice President JD Vance, dismissed the regime change idea, following the strikes on the Iranian nuclear sites.

The vice president said, per USA Today, "We don't want a regime change. We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here."

Moreover, Secretary of State Rubio shared on CBS’ 'Face the Nation', “There are a lot of regimes around the world that we don’t like, okay? But in this particular case, what we are focused on is not the changing of the regime.”

Pentagon chief Hegseth also clarified that the US strike on Iran “was not and has not been about regime change.”