Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly rejected the recent allegations made by the United States, which claimed that Tehran was involved in a conspiracy to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump. The Iranian ministry referred to these accusations as “completely baseless,” distancing itself from any involvement in such a plot. This response came after the U.S. prosecutors made public their charges concerning the alleged assassination scheme.
On Saturday, November 9, ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei issued a statement denying any Iranian role in planning attacks against either current or former American officials. He emphasized that Iran's foreign ministry firmly rejects all allegations that it was implicated in an assassination attempt targeting U.S. officials, both former and current, following the announcement of charges by the U.S. authorities related to the purported plot.
These remarks came after the U.S. Justice Department announced on Friday, November 8, that an Iranian national, 51-year-old Farhad Shakeri, who is believed to be in Iran, had been charged in connection with the alleged plot to kill Donald Trump. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Shakeri had been “tasked” by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out the assassination as a form of retaliation for the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020, ordered by then-President Trump. The charges imply that the alleged plan was part of a broader effort by Iran to avenge Soleimani’s killing.
The U.S. Department of Justice also revealed that Shakeri allegedly communicated the details of the plot in telephone conversations with FBI agents over recent months. Additionally, Shakeri, alongside two other men—Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, both from New York—faced separate charges related to a conspiracy to murder an Iranian-American dissident in New York. Rivera and Loadholt have already been taken into U.S. custody and appeared in court in New York on Thursday, facing these additional charges. The involvement of the two men raised further concerns about Iran’s alleged targeting of U.S. citizens and critics of its government.
In response to the charges, FBI Director Christopher Wray made a public statement, noting, “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders, and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran.” This statement underscored the serious nature of the charges and highlighted the ongoing tension between the two nations. The U.S. authorities' efforts to bring these individuals to justice also demonstrate the growing concerns about Iranian actions against American citizens and officials.
