(MENAFN- Khaama Press)
Image/Reuters.
The U.S. State Department's“Rewards for Justice” program has announced a reward of up to $20 million for information on Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is accused of planning to assassinate former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Poursafi, also known as Shahin Pourbakhsh, reportedly attempted to recruit individuals between October 2021 and April 2022 to carry out Bolton's assassination in the U.S., according to a post from the program on social media platform X.
The program urged the public to help bring Poursafi to justice.
In December 2022, reports revealed that the leader of the plot to assassinate both Bolton and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was Mohammad Reza Ansari, a commander in Iran's Quds Force Unit 840. Ansari mistakenly hired an FBI informant for the mission.
Shahram Poursafi, also known by the alias Mehdi Rezaei, is believed to have been the mastermind behind the plot, recruiting individuals based in the U.S. Poursafi, aged 48, is from Andimeshk and lives in Tehran.
On August 9, the“Rewards for Justice” program also offered a $10 million reward for information on six senior officials of the IRGC's cyber command, releasing their images.
The six officials identified were Hamid Homayounfal, Hamid Reza Lashgarian, Mehdi Lashgarian, Milad Mansouri, Mohammad Bagher Shirin Kar, and Reza Mohammadamin Saberian.
Iranian officials have repeatedly declared their intention to target former U.S. officials involved in the killing of Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force.
In January 2022, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that Donald Trump and those involved in Soleimani's death would pay for their actions and would“vanish into the trash bin of history.”
The assassination plots against former U.S. officials reveal escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. These threats and ongoing hostilities could potentially lead to increased conflict if diplomatic efforts are not urgently prioritized to avoid further escalation.
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