Iranian agent ‘tried to hire hit man to kill John Bolton

Shahram Poursafi, believed to be in the Revolutionary Guard, allegedly offered $300,000 for the ‘elimination’ of Donald Trump’s national security adviser.

Former National Security adviser John Bolton. Picture; AFP.

An Iranian agent has been charged with orchestrating a plot to murder President Trump’s national security adviser, probably in revenge for the assassination of a senior general, the Department of Justice said.

Shahram Poursafi, believed to be a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is alleged to have offered $300,000 for the “elimination” of John Bolton. A second target was also discussed, investigators said.

The plot, orchestrated from Tehran, was probably intended to avenge the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani of the IRGC, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, according to the DoJ. Bolton, one of the most hawkish figures on Iran in the administrations of both George W Bush and Donald Trump, hailed Soleimani’s death.

Poursafi, 45, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, is still at large.

Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney-general of the DoJ’s national security division, said: “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.”

According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, in October last year Poursafi asked a US resident he had met online to take pictures of Bolton, claiming that they were for a book he was writing. The resident, identified only as Individual A, later introduced Poursafi to an associate named in the legal document as the confidential human source.

Poursafi allegedly used an encrypted messaging service to offer the source $250,000 to hire someone to “eliminate” Bolton. The price was later negotiated up to $300,000. An additional “job” was discussed for which Poursafi said he would pay $1 million.

According to the complaint Poursafi told the source to open a cryptocurrency account to facilitate payment but stipulated that they would have to carry out the murder before being paid. If they were paid and the hit did not happen, Poursafi warned that his “group” would be angry, it is claimed.

The DoJ said that the alleged Iranian agent was shown in photos online wearing a uniform with an IRGC patch.

In November the source allegedly asked Poursafi for help locating Bolton and was provided with his work address in Washington. A screenshot from a map application sent by Poursafi is said to have indicated that the address was “10,162km away” – the distance between Washington and Tehran.

During the discussions Poursafi allegedly said his group required video proof that the hit had been carried out and in December is said to have sent the source a picture of two plastic bags filled with stacks of US currency with a handwritten note including the would-be assassin’s name and the date.

Then National Security Advisor John Bolton listens while US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office in 2019.

As the negotiations dragged on Poursafi is said to have become anxious about the murder not having happened and allegedly “expressed his regret” that it would not be conducted before the anniversary of Soleimani’s death.

In January this year the Iranian allegedly provided the source with information on Bolton’s travelling arrangements that were not publicly available.

Poursafi allegedly said that there was not a security presence at Bolton’s home so the source should be able to “finish the job”.

He has been charged with the use of interstate commerce facilities

in the commission of murder-for-hire and with providing and attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder plot. If convicted on all charges, Poursafi faces up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.

Soleimani, 62, was a revered figure in Iran and his death triggered warnings of retaliation from Tehran. He commanded the IRGC Quds Force, which oversees Iranian military operations outside the country and in particular across the Middle East.

Its main focus is on co-ordinating the activities of allied militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and a variety of factions in Iraq. However, the Revolutionary Guard has occasionally ventured farther afield, carrying out attacks in Europe and Latin America in the past.

In 2011 an Iranian-American was accused of plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington, working in co-ordination with the IRGC. His cousin was a senior official in the Quds Force.

Iran issued stringent denials of the plot, but the man arrested, Manssor Arbabsiar, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and murder-for-hire charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Bolton, 73, now has a strained relationship with Trump and has criticised the former president since leaving the White House.

The Times