US charges Iranian man over plot to murder former Donald Trump adviser John Bolton
As Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton was the architect of America's strategy to contain Iran. But court papers unsealed on Wednesday revealed a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard was attempting to pay someone to murder him. Rohit Kachroo reports
The United States has charged an Iranian man over a plot to murder former president Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser, John Bolton.
The Justice Department said on Wednesday that Shahram Poursafi, identified by US officials as a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was wanted by the FBI for charges relating to the murder-for-hire plot.
The 45-year-old offered $250,000 to people in Maryland and the District of Columbia to carry out the killing, including providing a work address, according to an FBI affidavit, which was unsealed in federal court in Washington.
The plot was a presumed retaliation for a US airstrike that killed Iran's most powerful general.
Prosecutors say the scheme started more than a year after Qassem Soleimani, the head of the country's elite Revolutionary Guard force and an architect of Tehran’s proxy wars in the Middle East, was killed in a targeted airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport in January 2020.
After the strike, Mr Bolton, who by then had left his White House post, tweeted: “Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Bolton thanked the FBI and Justice Department for their work in the case.
“While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran’s rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States," he said.
The Justice Department’s top national security official, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, said it was “not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts.”
The unsealing of the complaint comes two days after negotiators seeking to revive the Iran nuclear accord in Vienna closed on a “final text” of an agreement, with parties now consulting in their capitals on whether to agree to it.
The 2015 deal granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for tight curbs on its atomic program.
But since the US withdrew from the agreement under President Donald Trump, Iran has sped up its nuclear enrichment program.
Mr Bolton has been among the most hawkish critics of the deal and efforts by the Biden administration to rejoin it.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know