US imposes sanctions on Iranian officials for planning assassinations.

Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Officials for Assassination Plots

The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for plotting assassinations of figures, including U.S. officials. The sanctions target Mohammad Reza Ansari, an official from the IRGC-Quds Force, for plotting to assassinate former national security adviser John Bolton and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Ansari, with the support of Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian national, planned and attempted to assassinate two former U.S. government officials.

Last August, the Justice Department brought criminal charges against Poursafi for trying to orchestrate the assassination of Bolton, who was likely targeted as retaliation for the United States’ killing of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. Pompeo was also a target of these attacks.

The sanctions also targeted Rouhallah Bazghandi and Reza Seraj, two senior officials of the IRGC, as well as Hossein Hafez Amini, a dual Iranian and Turkish national who assists the IRGC with covert operations.

The United States is committed to disrupting the terrorist activities of the IRGC and its Qods Force, who have engaged in numerous assassination attempts and other acts of violence and intimidation against those they deem enemies of the Iranian regime. Undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson said Thursday, “We will continue to expose and disrupt these terrorist activities and efforts to silence opposing voices, particularly those who advocate for respect for the universal human rights and freedoms of the Iranian people.”

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