The US Department of Justice (DoJ) disclosed on Friday that Iranian agents allegedly plotted to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump. According to court filings, operatives linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed an Iranian agent, Farhad Shakeri, to monitor and execute a plan to kill Trump in September.
Prosecutors revealed that Shakeri, a 51-year-old Iranian operative, was temporarily reassigned from his usual duties to focus on the assassination plan. He reportedly informed his IRGC contact that the operation would require significant financial resources. The IRGC official responded that funds were not an issue, as substantial investments had already been made in the operation. The official also suggested delaying the plot if Shakeri could not meet a seven-day deadline, proposing that a potential Trump defeat in the upcoming election would make the assassination easier to carry out later.
The DoJ also outlined a separate assassination plot targeting Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist known for her outspoken criticism of Iran’s government. Alinejad, who lives in Brooklyn, has faced several previous assassination and kidnapping attempts. Shakeri allegedly recruited two associates, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, to assist in the plot against Alinejad, who had previously been targeted by the IRGC.
Context of rising tensions with Iran
The plot’s revelation follows Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the election, amid ongoing efforts by Iran to target the former US president. The assassination plot appears linked to Iran’s retaliation for the January 2020 US drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force. This act of aggression has significantly heightened tensions between the two countries.
In addition to the Trump plot, the Justice Department had previously filed charges against a Pakistani man with Iranian ties in August for a separate assassination plot targeting Trump. Further charges were filed in September against Iranian hackers accused of attempting to disrupt Trump’s re-election campaign. As tensions persist, experts predict that US-Iran relations will worsen, with tougher policies on Iran’s nuclear program and Middle Eastern proxies expected during Trump’s second term.
Legal proceedings and Shakeri’s whereabouts
Shakeri remains at large, reportedly in Iran, while Rivera and Loadholt are in federal custody facing charges related to the plot. Shakeri, who was deported from the US in 2008 after a robbery conviction, allegedly sought to negotiate a reduced sentence for an imprisoned associate in exchange for his role in the assassination plot against Trump.
(With inputs from from agencies)