Iranian charged in alleged plot to assassinate John Bolton

The U.S. declared criminal charges against a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for allegedly plotting to murder John Bolton, reports CNN.

According to a statement made Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department, the alleged plot was "likely in retaliation" for the death of Qasem Soleimani, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was killed in January 2020 by a U.S. air strike.

Allegedly, 45-year-old Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian national and IRGC member, agreed to pay individuals in the United States $300,000 to assassinate the former national security advisor during the Trump administration. "[He] allegedly told the source that it didn't matter how the murder was carried out, but that his 'group' would require video confirmation of Bolton's death," says Axios.

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Poursafi is charged with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, and with attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder plot.

"While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran's rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States," Bolton said in a statement to CBS News. "Their radical, anti-American objectives are unchanged; their commitments are worthless; and their global threat is growing."