Shahram Poursafi: IRGC Member Charged with Plot to Murder Former U.S. National Security Advisor

Shahram Poursafi, also known as Shahram Bursafi, an Iranian national, is wanted for his alleged involvement in criminal activities, including providing material support for terrorism and attempting to assassinate two former U.S. government officials. On August 10, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Poursafi with providing and attempting to provide material support for a transnational murder conspiracy. Poursafi, who is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was involved in the planning and operational control of IRGC operations in the Caucasus region. From October 2021 to April 2022, Poursafi allegedly used encrypted online messaging applications to recruit criminal elements within the United States to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton in Washington, D.C., or Maryland, reportedly offering $300,000 for the assassination. A graph illustrates the relationships between Shahram Poursafi and other sanctioned parties, highlighting his associations with them. It also shows Poursafi's connection to Mohammad Reza Ansari, an official in the IRGC's Quds Force. Ansari, a longtime member of the IRGC-QF, has supported IRGC-QF operations in Syria and is part of the external operations unit responsible for conducting covert operations abroad. These operations include planning and executing intelligence and lethal actions against Iranian dissidents and other non-Iranian citizens in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Ansari's operations were supported by Shahram Poursafi.