Today: 5 July 2025
11 August 2022
2 mins read

Iran plot to kill John Bolton uncovered

Soleimani was the commander-in-chief of the IRGC and also widely considered the most powerful figure in Iran after its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei…reports Asian Lite News

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that it had uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, and announced charges against a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

DOJ said 45-year-old Shahram Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, 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.”

Soleimani was the commander-in-chief of the IRGC and also widely considered the most powerful figure in Iran after its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad under the orders of then President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, the DOJ said Poursafi had offered to pay an individual in the United States $300,000 to kill Bolton.

“This is 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,” AFP quoted US Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen as saying.

According to the charges, Poursafi tried to arrange Bolton’s murder beginning in October 2021, when he contacted online an unidentified person in the United States, first saying he wanted to commission photographs of Bolton, AFP reported.

That person passed the Iranian onto another contact, who Poursafi then asked to kill Bolton.

“Poursafi added that he had an additional ‘job,’ for which he would pay $1 million,” the DOJ said.

But that second person, court documents say, was a confidential source for the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, it reported.

This comes as talks on reviving Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is undergoing in Vienna.

The talks on reviving the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March 2022 because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.

The latest round of talks, which began on Thursday following a five-month hiatus, ended on Monday without a breakthrough.

ALSO READ: Iran nuclear talks end as EU submits ‘final text’

Previous Story

Valli: An attempt to capture the pulse of the land

Next Story

Lebanese cancer patients struggle to find medicines amid crisis

Latest from -Top News

BRICS must break the digital chains

BRICS nations need to build consensus, balance innovation and social justice by reinforcing the digital sovereignty of Global South, including evenly distribution of benefits through AI, writes Baidya Bikash Basu BRICS, the

G42 AI tool boosts procurement by 40%

Abu Dhabi’s tech giant leads the charge in AI-driven operational transformation with (In)Business Procurement platform. Abu Dhabi-based global technology powerhouse G42 has taken a major leap in enterprise digital transformation with the

ADX, banks launch region’s first digital bond

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has launched the pricing phase for the region’s first distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based bond, setting a new benchmark in financial innovation and blockchain integration. The bond, issued

Saudi, Indonesia seal $27bn in deals

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia deepen ties with $27bn in agreements, boosting trade, energy, defence and pilgrimage cooperation, signalling a new chapter in strategic partnership. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia inked a raft of

UN urges investments in Syria

Rebuilding Syria requires not only emergency relief but sustained investment in basic services, economic recovery, and stability, says UN Office in Syria. A high-level United Nations delegation has called for increased international
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US National Security Strategy doesn’t mention Pakistan, Saudi

Islamabad has long complained that the US views Pakistan only

US refuses to back Israel-Hamas ceasefire  

Instead, the Biden administration said “pauses” to allow aid into