Federal prosecutors have charged Brig. Gen. Ruhollah Bazghandi, a senior Iranian military official, and three others linked to Iran’s government for plotting to assassinate Iranian American author and activist Masih Alinejad on U.S. soil. The charges were celebrated by Alinejad, who called it “a second life.”
Bazghandi, once head of the Revolutionary Guard’s counterintelligence department, and his three accomplices remain in Iran and at large. Five others were previously charged in the plot, with three currently in custody.
Alinejad, a prominent critic of the Iranian regime and contributor to Voice of America, fled Iran in 2009 following disputed elections. Living in exile in New York City, she praised U.S. law enforcement for their protection, saying, “I love America. Thank you.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the assassination attempt, declaring that the U.S. “will not tolerate efforts by an authoritarian regime like Iran to undermine the fundamental rights guaranteed to every American.”
The case sheds light on Iran’s ongoing campaign of transnational repression against dissidents abroad. Bazghandi, previously cited for involvement in international assassination plots, was charged for his role in targeting journalists and political opponents deemed threats to the regime.
Alinejad, who has relocated over 20 times due to security threats, expressed guilt for those in Iran who remain unprotected. “They get killed for the crime of showing their hair,” she said, vowing to continue advocating for the oppressed.
