Iran’s Chilling Assassination Plot in America: How US Authorities Foiled a Deadly Plan

In a chilling case that highlights the global reach of authoritarian regimes, the United States Justice Department has formally charged Ruhollah Bazghandi, a senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with orchestrating a plot to assassinate an Iranian American dissident in New York City. The charges were announced on Tuesday, implicating Bazghandi and three other Iranian nationals in a murder-for-hire scheme.

The target of the plot, Iranian American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian government for years. Known for her opposition to Iran’s mandatory hijab laws and broader human rights abuses, Alinejad has long been a thorn in the side of the regime. Her activism, which has garnered international attention, made her a target of the IRGC.

The plot against Alinejad came dangerously close to execution in July 2022 when one of the conspirators, Khalid Mehdiyev, was arrested near her home in New York with a loaded rifle.