House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said any attempt from Iran to assassinate former President Donald Trump would be an act of war. 

The Louisiana Republican’s warning, posted on X, follows a report in The Washington Post that President Biden directed the White House National Security Council to tell Iran’s government to stop plotting against Mr. Trump and other former U.S. officials and that any attempts on the GOP nominee’s life would be viewed as an act of war.

“While President Biden is communicating only through staff, let this message from the Speaker of the House be heard clearly: Any assassination attempt by Iran against President Trump WILL be regarded as an act of war,” Mr. Johnson wrote on X. 

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Mr. Johnson’s statement is significant because Congress holds the power to declare war under the Constitution. 

The Washington Times reached out to the White House National Security Council for comment. 

Mr. Biden has approved a Trump campaign request for military aircraft and vehicles to transport him around the country in the final weeks of the race because of Iran’s assassination threats against him.

Iran has threatened Mr. Trump and officials from his administration for ordering the 2020 drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander.

Mr. Trump received a briefing from U.S. intelligence officials last month warning of “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him,” coordinated plots that have “heightened in the past few months,” according to campaign spokesman Steven Cheung.

On July 12, the FBI arrested Asif Merchant, a Pakistani with ties to Iran, who was involved in a murder-for-hire plot targeting U.S. government officials, including Mr. Trump.

The next day, Mr. Trump was nearly killed as a gunman fired shots at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI has said no evidence exists that the assassination attempt was connected to a foreign plot.