Iran Denies Allegations of Assassination Plot Against President-Elect Trump
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has refuted a report released by the Department of Justice claiming that it thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump. According to a criminal complaint filed in a New York City federal court, an unnamed official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps instructed Farhad Shakeri to focus on surveilling and assassinating Trump.
Shakeri, a 51-year-old Iranian national, was tasked with providing a plan to kill President-elect Trump on October 7, 2024. However, Iran’s spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei categorically dismissed these allegations as baseless and rejected them. He mentioned that similar accusations against Iran in the past have been proven false and suggested that they are part of a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by anti-Iranian circles.
Baghaei emphasized Iran’s commitment to using all legitimate and legal means to protect the rights of the Iranian nation. Shakeri, who is currently at large and believed to be living in Iran, had immigrated to the US as a child but was deported in 2008 after serving a prison sentence for robbery.
In addition to the plot against Trump, Shakeri is also accused of tasking two individuals, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, to surveil and kill an American of Iranian origin, journalist Masih Alinejad, for $100,000. Alinejad, who is known for her criticism of the Iranian regime, has been targeted by the government as well.
Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger American citizens and national security. Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt face charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering conspiracy, with penalties ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison.
Furthermore, Shakeri has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, violating sanctions against Iran, and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, each carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The situation remains tense between the US and Iran as both sides stand firm on their positions regarding the alleged assassination plot. The developments will continue to unfold as the legal proceedings progress.
