Iran is seeking revenge on US leaders, particularly President Donald Trump, for the death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, according to US officials. Two European men were recently convicted in a plot to assassinate Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Iranian government. Alinejad is a vocal critic of the Iranian government, especially regarding compulsory hijab laws. The men convicted were high-ranking members of an Eastern European crime organization known as the Bazghandi Network, which has ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian armed forces designated as a terrorist organization by the US. The IRGC instructed the men to target Alinejad after previous attempts to kidnap her failed. The men surveilled Alinejad and planned to kill her, ultimately leading to their arrest. Alinejad testified at the trial regarding her encounters with suspicious individuals near her home. The men face potential life imprisonment for their involvement in the assassination plot. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between Iran and the US, with President Trump reissuing his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran and seeking a nuclear deal while maintaining a strong stance against the Iranian regime. Alinejad sees the plot against her as a broader threat to American principles of freedom, democracy, and free speech.
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