WASHINGTON, USA: The US government is offering a $20 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian national accused of plotting to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), allegedly tried to hire criminals in the US to carry out the murder in exchange for $300,000. This assassination plot was reportedly motivated by retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020, which was ordered by then-President Donald Trump.
From October 2021 to April 2022, Poursafi reportedly sought out potential assassins to target Bolton in Washington, D.C., or Maryland. Unbeknownst to him, one of the contacts was a US informant. After Bolton, Poursafi allegedly had plans for a second assassination.
The US Department of Justice charged Poursafi in 2022, but he remains at large, and officials believe he is outside the U.S. Iran has denied any involvement, with Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissing the assassination plot as unfounded. However, Bolton called for stronger action against Iranian threats, stating that targeting US officials is an attack on the country itself.
In a related development, Trump recently mentioned that he had been briefed about possible Iranian assassination plots against him, adding to tensions between the two nations.
