Iranian operative charged in plot to murder John Bolton

WASHINGTON: An Iranian operative has been charged in a plot to murder former Trump administration national security John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed a popular and powerful general in the country, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Shahram Poursafi, identified by U.S. officials as a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is currently wanted by the FBI on charges related to the murder-for-hire plot. Prosecutors said the act was likely in retaliation for the January 2020 strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, who was the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. In a statement, Bolton thanked the FBI and Justice Department for their work in developing the case.

“While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran's rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States,'' he said.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department's top national security official, said it was ''not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on U.S. soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts.”