Grassley: Iran attempted to assassinate US leaders

Iowa Republican says intelligence officials warned of Iranian plot to kill officials

Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Iran has attempted to assassinate former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Grassley made the claim in a statement on Wednesday, citing intelligence officials. He said that the officials had warned of an Iranian plot to kill the two men in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.

“This is a serious threat that must be taken seriously,” Grassley said. “I urge the Biden administration to take all necessary steps to protect these individuals and their families.”

The White House did not immediately comment on Grassley’s claim. However, a State Department spokesperson said that the US is aware of reports of Iranian threats against American officials and is taking the matter seriously.

“We are aware of these reports and are taking them seriously,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary steps to protect our citizens.”

The Iranian government has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and “unfounded.”

“We strongly reject these baseless and unfounded allegations,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said. “Iran has never and will never engage in such activities.”

The alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Bolton and Pompeo is the latest in a series of tensions between the US and Iran.

In recent months, the two countries have been engaged in a shadow war, with each side carrying out cyberattacks and other covert operations against the other.

The US has also been seeking to revive the Iran nuclear deal, which was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

However, the talks have been stalled for months, and it is unclear if they will ever be revived.