The FBI is ramping up efforts to hunt down an Iranian intelligence operative who is believed to be plotting the assassination of former senior Trump administration officials.
The FBI field office in Miami, Florida, published a wanted poster on Friday of Majid Dastjani Farahani, an Iranian officer linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, who is accused of working to recruit individuals to conduct operations on U.S. soil, including assassination and “surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.” Among Farahani’s suspected targets are key Trump administration officials whom Iran seeks “revenge” against for the death of Qasem Soleimani, the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) lethal Quds Force (QF).
“If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate,” reads the FBI poster. The poster includes a photo and physical description of Farahani, who the FBI said frequently travels to Iran and Venezuela.
The FBI did not say exactly who Farahani’s targets are beyond “current and former United States Government officials.”
Seeking Information: Iranian intel officer Majid Dastjani Farahani is wanted for questioning regarding the recruitment of individuals for operations in the U.S., to include lethal targeting of current/former USG officials. https://t.co/jyL3ZYRbo3
— FBI Miami (@FBIMiamiFL) March 1, 2024
Former President Donald Trump and senior administration officials ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani in 2020, prompting anger from Tehran. Soleimani was a de facto celebrity among the Iranian population and held considerable power in the country’s military; he is seen by Iranians as a martyr after his death.
The U.S. previously indicted members of the IRGC in 2022 for plotting to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton. U.S. officials told Semafor that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Special Envoy to Iran Brian Hook are also likely among Iran’s targets.
U.S. intelligence agencies are providing the aforementioned officials with 24/7 security, given the serious nature of the threats. The costs associated with just protecting Bolton and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s second and final National Security Advisor, were over $12 million for 2021 alone, according to CBS.
Pompeo, Bolton, Hook and Robert O’Brien are all on Iran’s sanctioned person list, as is Trump himself.
Already-strained relations between the U.S. and Iran grew worse following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, which killed over 1,200 civilians and prompted a broader regional conflict. The U.S. is backing Israel’s sweeping counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza while Iran continues to support Hamas, which is masterminded and funded by the country.
Tensions rose sharply again after Iranian-backed proxies launched an airstrike against a coalition military base in Jordan in early February and killed three U.S. troops. The U.S. launched a series of retaliatory airstrikes against the proxies in Iraq and Syria in the following days and weeks.
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What on Earth is a “de facto celebrity”? Seems to me that you’re either a celebrity or you’re not. “De facto” has nothing to do with it.
Maybe because it sounds all erudite and cool?