The U.S. Justice Department has unsealed criminal charges revealing an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump. According to a criminal complaint filed in a Manhattan federal court, an official in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard reportedly directed Farjad Shakeri, a contact in the U.S., to develop a surveillance and assassination plan targeting Trump as early as September.
The complaint alleges that if Shakeri could not devise a plan within a week, Iran intended to wait until after the 2024 presidential election to proceed. Federal officials interpret this as part of broader efforts by Iran to target U.S. officials on American soil. This plot was made public shortly after Trump’s win over Kamala Harris in the recent election, highlighting continued threats posed by foreign entities on U.S. political leaders.