US offers Iranians $20 million for plotting against former Trump national security adviser John Bolton

The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $20 million for information leading to the arrest of a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for his alleged involvement in a murder-for-hire plot targeting former President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton.

Shahram Poursafi is a uniformed member of the IRGC, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and is believed to be acting on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) in a murder-for-hire plot, the State Department said.

According to the State Department, Poursafi allegedly conspired with “criminal elements” in the US to assassinate Bolton in Washington between October 2021 and April 2022 in exchange for $300,000.

The alleged plot to assassinate Bolton occurred after he served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019.

It is alleged that Poursafi provided “material support and resources” to facilitate the assassination attempt and told the would-be assassin that he had a second assassination assignment for him after Bolton’s murder, the State Department said.

The potential killer later became a confidential source of information for American investigators.

Poursafi is a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was allegedly involved in a murder-for-hire plot targeting former President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton. AP

The United States Department of Justice unsealed the criminal complaint against Poursafi on August 5, 2022.

On June 1, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Poursafi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

This means that any of Poursafi’s property or interests in property subject to US jurisdiction will be blocked and US citizens are prohibited from doing business with him.

According to the US State Department, Poursafi allegedly conspired with “criminal elements” in the US to assassinate Bolton in Washington between October 2021 and April 2022 in exchange for $300,000. Mario Cantu/CSM/Shutterstock

If convicted, Poursafi faces more than ten years in prison and a half-million dollar fine.

He remains at large abroad.

The reward offer came just days after former President Trump was informed of “real and specific threats” from Iran to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate, his campaign said.

Both incidents occurred during a meeting of world leaders this week at the UN General Assembly. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iran wants to “play an effective and constructive role” in world affairs.