The FBI got a new addition to its “most wanted” list, and he’s not your average criminal. Majid Dastjani Farahani, an alleged Iranian intelligence big shot, has landed himself in hot water for supposedly cooking up schemes to take out American officials.
The Miami FBI division has issued a call for information regarding Farahani, accused of orchestrating assassination attempts in retaliation for the death of former Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Following Soleimani’s death, Iran pledged retaliation against the United States and its officials. This pledge was underscored two months after a Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, with Iran declaring the assault as part of its vengeance for Soleimani’s demise.
Farahani is accused of recruiting individuals within the U.S. for missions that include the lethal targeting of both current and former U.S. government officials in an act of vengeance for the death of IRGC-QF Commander Qassem Soleimani, according to a recent “most wanted” bulletin by the FBI.
The FBI has further disclosed that Farahani is suspected of enlisting individuals for surveillance tasks targeting religious venues, businesses, and other sites within the U.S., ostensibly under the direction of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Accompanying the bulletin was a photo of Farahani, who is described as having brown and gray hair and brown eyes and was born on July 26, 1982. Reports suggest that Farahani’s alleged targets include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and special envoy Brian Hook from the Trump administration.
In December 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Farahani for his role in “aggressively targeting and stifling opponents and dissenting voices” beyond Iran’s borders, encompassing actions such as transnational repression and lethal plotting against activists, journalists, and foreign officials.
This follows revelations from former Trump adviser John Bolton to The Washington Post in 2022 about being informed by the FBI of an Iranian plot to assassinate him, a plot that became increasingly serious, leading to Secret Service protection in 2021.
The Department of Justice has also charged Shahram Poursafi, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in an attempt to murder Bolton, offering $300,000 for the act to be carried out either at Bolton’s home or office in Washington.
This latest incident underscores the ongoing threats posed by Iranian plots on U.S. soil, with U.S. officials committed to exposing and thwarting these efforts.
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
