- US offers $20m bounty for Iranian accused of plans to kill Trump aide
- Poursafi is alleged to be a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- The alleged plot is seen as retaliation for the 2020 killing of an Iranian general, ordered by Trump
US offers $20m bounty for Iranian accused of plans to kill Trump aide
The United States has announced a $20 million reward for information leading to the capture of Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian national accused of plotting to assassinate John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor under former President Donald Trump. Poursafi is alleged to be a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is accused of trying to hire criminals in the U.S. to carry out the assassination in exchange for $300,000.
This announcement comes shortly after Trump revealed that U.S. intelligence had briefed him about another alleged Iranian plot targeting him personally. Iran, however, has denied any involvement in attempts to assassinate U.S. officials or interfere in the nation’s affairs.
According to U.S. officials, between October 2021 and April 2022, Poursafi sought out individuals in Washington, D.C., and Maryland to execute the assassination. One of the people he contacted turned out to be a confidential informant working with U.S. investigators. Poursafi is reported to have hinted at a second assassination mission following Bolton’s.
The alleged plot is seen as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, which was ordered by Trump during his presidency. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice formally charged Poursafi, though he remains at large and is not believed to be in the U.S.