The FBI is actively seeking an Iranian intelligence operative suspected of plotting to assassinate former and current U.S. government officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Last week, the FBI’s Miami field office issued a public alert seeking information on Majid Dastjani Farahani, 42, believed to be a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
In a “Most Wanted” notice on Friday, the Bureau warned that the multilingual Farahani frequently travels between Iran and Venezuela while recruiting operatives for attacks on U.S. soil.
According to the FBI, Farahani has been recruiting individuals to lethally target American officials as part of a revenge plot for the 2020 U.S. killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani under former President Donald Trump and Pompeo.
Reports indicate Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook were provided 24-hour security after the FBI warning about Farahani’s threats.
In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted Iranian Revolutionary Guard members for an alleged assassination plot targeting Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Beyond targeting officials, Farahani is accused of recruiting operatives to surveil religious sites, businesses and other U.S. facilities.
Soleimani was killed in a controversial 2020 U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump. The powerful Iranian general had been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of American troops in Iraq.
After his death, Iranian officials vowed revenge against the U.S. Concerns mounted when Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists launched a deadly attack on Israel in October, which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards described as “one of the revenges” for Soleimani’s killing.
While Hamas denied that motive, Iran’s threats and desire for retaliation following the general’s death were clear, with further attacks on American forces in January leaving three U.S. soldiers dead.
The Iranian-allied Houthi militants have also escalated chaos in the region through strikes on shipping and Israeli targets, prompting limited U.S. strikes in Yemen and a drone strike last month that killed terrorist leaders in Baghdad.
As the FBI intensifies its manhunt, the Farahani case underscores the persistent dangers former U.S. officials face from Iranian reprisals over Soleimani’s killing and broader tensions with the hardline regime.
