The FBI is stepping up its search for Iranian agents suspected of plotting to assassinate former Trump administration officials.
The FBI field office in Miami, Florida, released a wanted list. poster On Friday, Majid Dasjani Farahani, an Iranian officer with ties to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, identified individuals carrying out operations on U.S. soil, including assassinations and “surveillance operations focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities.” He was accused of recruiting. In the US. ” Among Farahani's alleged targets are Trump, who said Iran was seeking “revenge” for the death of Qassem Soleimani, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s deadly Quds Force (QF). This includes key government officials. (Related: Biden worries that showing his face in public could trigger Iran to escalate war: Report)
“If you have information about this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” the FBI poster says. The posters include photos and physical depictions of Farahani, who the FBI said is a frequent visitor to Iran and Venezuela.
The FBI did not say exactly who Farahani's targets were other than “current and former U.S. government officials.”
Information Wanted: Iranian intelligence officer Majid Dasjani Farahani is wanted for questioning regarding the recruitment of individuals for operations in the United States, including the deadly targeting of current/former US government personnel. https://t.co/jyL3ZYRbo3
— FBI Miami (@FBIMiamiFL) March 1, 2024
Former President Donald Trump and senior administration officials ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani in 2020, angering the Iranian government. Soleimani was a virtual celebrity among Iranians and held considerable power in the country's military. After his death, Iranians consider him a martyr.
The United States previously charged members of the Revolutionary Guard with plotting to assassinate former national security adviser John Bolton in 2022.US officials Said Smartphone said that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former special envoy to Iran Brian Hook are also likely to be among Iran's targets.
US intelligence agencies are providing 24/7 security to the aforementioned officials given the serious nature of the threat. The cost of protecting Bolton and Trump's second and last national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, alone exceeded $12 million in 2021 alone. according to To CBS.
Pompeo, Bolton, Hook and Robert O'Brien are all subject to Iranian sanctions. listas well as Trump himself.
Already strained relations between the United States and Iran further deteriorated following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 civilians and sparked a broader regional conflict. While the United States supports Israel's aggressive counterattack against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Iran continues to support the state-headquartered and state-funded Hamas.
Tensions rose sharply again in early February after Iranian-backed proxies carried out an airstrike on a coalition base in Jordan, killing three U.S. soldiers. In the days and weeks that followed, the United States launched a series of retaliatory airstrikes against proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.
The FBI did not respond to requests for comment.
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