The United States Offers a $20 Million Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest of Shahram Pour-Safi

The U.S. Department of State has set a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Shahram Pour-Safi, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Pour-Safi has been accused by the U.S. Department of Justice two years ago of conspiring to assassinate John Bolton, a former U.S. National Security Advisor, by paying $300,000 to a mercenary to kill him. In June 2023, the U.S. government imposed sanctions against the head of the IRGC's foreign intelligence organization and other members and affiliates of the IRGC, including Pour-Safi. A statement released by the State Department on Thursday, October 5, stated that Pour-Safi is accused of attempting to hire individuals in the United States to kill Bolton for $300,000 from October 2021 to April 2022. A Pakistani national has also been accused of designing the assassination of an American official on behalf of Tehran. He is also accused of providing support and material resources to facilitate this assassination attempt. The statement noted that Pour-Safi was acting on behalf of the Quds Force of the IRGC, which has been designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. Treasury Department designated Pour-Safi as a 'global terrorist' in June 2023 and blocked all his assets and interests in the U.S. According to the statement, if convicted, Pour-Safi faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for using interstate commerce facilities to commit contract murder, and a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for providing and attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder conspiracy. Two years ago, it was reported that Pour-Safi was living in Iran, but the U.S. State Department has stated that he remains a fugitive outside the country. In Bahman 1402 (January 2024), the U.S. State Department also offered a $15 million reward for information about 'Hossein Hatefi Ardakani', his activities, and his connections with the IRGC. The official Persian-language account of the U.S. State Department referred to Ardakani as an 'Iranian businessman' who collaborated with the IRGC 'to obtain and supply the complex technology needed by the IRGC' for 'producing weapons and selling them to this entity.' The U.S. Treasury had previously sanctioned Hossein Hatefi Ardakani in connection with 'supplying parts for the Islamic Republic's drones.' Additionally, the 'Rewards for Justice' program associated with the U.S. State Department announced in Bahman 1403 (January 2025) a $10 million reward for any information leading to the location and identification of six senior officials of the Iranian Cyber Command of the IRGC. These six individuals were identified as Hamid Homayoun Fal, Hamid Reza Lashgariyan, Mehdi Lashgariyan, Milad Mansouri, Mohammad Baqer Shirin Kar, and Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian.