DOJ Charges Iranian National Who Allegedly Plotted to Assassinate John Bolton
The U.S. Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against Iranian operative Shahram Poursafi in connection with an alleged plot to kill former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
The DOJ said in a statement that Poursafi, who is also known as Mehdi Rezayi and is a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, attempted “to arrange the murder of” Bolton “likely in retaliation for the January 2020 death of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) commander Qasem Soleimani.”
The 45-year-old allegedly attempted to pay individuals in the U.S. $300,000 to murder Bolton in either Washington, D.C., or Maryland. He allegedly said it didn’t matter how the murder was carried out, but that his group would need video confirmation of the murder.
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, through the Defendant, tried to hatch a brazen plot: assassinate a former U.S. official on U.S. soil in retaliation for U.S. actions,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia said in the DOJ statement. “Iran and other hostile governments should understand that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to thwart their violent plots and bring those responsible to justice.”
On January 3, 2022 Poursafi told a source he was under pressure from “his people” to complete the job and expressed regret that the murder would not be completed by the anniversary of Soleimani’s death, the DOJ alleges.
Two months later he allegedly said he had a second assassination job to offer in the U.S. but to keep Bolton “in the back of your mind.”
Bolton has been a critic of the Iranian regime for decades and pushed for the U.S. to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal under Trump. The Iranian regime has threatened retaliation against Bolton and other top Trump administration officials over the assassination of Soleimani.
Larissa Knapp, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, said in a statement: “Iran has a history of plotting to assassinate individuals in the U.S. it deems a threat, but the U.S. Government has a longer history of holding accountable those who threaten the safety of our citizens.”
“Let there be no doubt: The FBI, the U.S. government, and our partners remain vigilant in the fight against such threats here in the U.S. and overseas,” Knapp added.
I wish to thank the Justice Dept for initiating the criminal proceeding unsealed today; the FBI for its diligence in discovering and tracking the Iranian regime’s criminal threat to American citizens; and the Secret Service for providing protection against Tehran’s efforts. pic.twitter.com/QDjkX6gUWM
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) August 10, 2022
Bolton issued a statement thanking the DOJ, FBI and Secret Service.
“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, adding that Iran’s nuclear weapons and terrorist activities are “two sides of the same coin.”
