Iranian Operative Charged in Plot to Murder John Bolton

Former National security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Sept. 30, 2019. (AP)
Former National security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Sept. 30, 2019. (AP)
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Iranian Operative Charged in Plot to Murder John Bolton

Former National security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Sept. 30, 2019. (AP)
Former National security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Sept. 30, 2019. (AP)

An Iranian operative has been charged in a plot to murder former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a US airstrike that killed the country's most powerful general, offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to "eliminate" him, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Shahram Poursafi, identified by US officials as a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, is currently wanted by the FBI on charges related to the murder-for-hire plot.

Prosecutors say the scheme started more than a year after Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard force and an architect of Tehran’s proxy wars in the Middle East, was killed in a targeted airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport in January 2020. After the strike, Bolton, who by then had left his White House post, tweeted, "Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran."

Poursafi, 45, offered $250,000 to people in Maryland and the District of Columbia to carry out the killing, including providing a work address, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed in federal court in Washington.

In a statement, Bolton thanked the FBI and Justice Department for their work in developing the case.

"While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran’s rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States," he said.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department’s top national security official, said it was "not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts."

The unsealing of the complaint comes two days after negotiators seeking to revive the Iran nuclear accord in Vienna closed on a "final text" of an agreement, with parties now consulting in their capitals on whether to agree to it.

The 2015 deal granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for tight curbs on its atomic program. Since the US withdrew from the agreement under President Donald Trump, Iran has sped up its nuclear enrichment program. Bolton has been among the most hawkish critics of the deal and efforts by the Biden administration to rejoin it.

In his statement, he said “Iran’s nuclear-weapons and terrorist activities are two sides of the same coin” and asserted that America re-entering the failed 2015 Iran nuclear deal would be an unparalleled self-inflicted wound, to ourselves and our closest Middle East allies."



UNCTAD: 'Painful' Cuts Threaten Our Task to Help Developing Countries

UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan (AFP) 
UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan (AFP) 
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UNCTAD: 'Painful' Cuts Threaten Our Task to Help Developing Countries

UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan (AFP) 
UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan (AFP) 

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), tasked with helping developing countries access the global economy, faces “painful” cuts as part of broader reforms prompted by a decline in global donor funding, its secretary general has said.

Rebeca Grynspan told Reuters she was concerned the agency’s work will be hampered while demand for its services grows, as countries seek information on the impact of sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

For UNCTAD's 2026 budget, Grynspan said she and her team had proposed cutting 70 posts. That is from an overall headcount of 500 including consultants, with about 400 permanent posts.

“This is painful. There's no way to disguise this ... we haven't cut that number of posts ever in one budget,” she said.

“It really will constrain the organization and the things that we can do”.

UN agencies like UNCTAD are having to cut costs amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the US, which has provided nearly a quarter of the world body's funding, and longer term liquidity problems.

“What worries me the most is the possibility to respond to countries in their needs fast enough,” Grynspan said.

Grynspan, who is part of the task force on broader UN80 reforms to improve efficiency and cut costs at the UN, said she was involved in discussions on how to better divide tasks among the UN's development agencies through collaboration.

The UN Secretariat, the global body's executive arm, is preparing to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20%.

About 75 agencies and departments faced a June 13 deadline to propose budget cuts.

The UN in Geneva is proposing leaving the historic Palais Wilson, which houses its human rights office.

The final decision on UNCTAD's proposed budget will be made by the UN Secretariat and member states in September.