--- title: "FBI adds IRGC member to Most Wanted list for alleged assassination plot" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-11-12T10:45:52.790Z" source_reported: "2026-11-11T17:30:08.000Z" updated: "2026-11-12T10:45:52.790Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-12T11:45:21.691617+00:00" --- # FBI adds IRGC member to Most Wanted list for alleged assassination plot *Shahram Poursafi accused of soliciting killings of former US officials in retaliation for Soleimani strike.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to FBI; details on plot, payment, and targets are corroborated across multiple outlets. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes FBI statements, court documents, and details on individuals involved, with clear separation of fact and comment. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use strong language like 'Most Wanted' and 'Kill Plot' but the body of the reporting is factual. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The FBI has added Shahram Poursafi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member, to its Most Wanted Terrorists list. - Poursafi is accused of soliciting the assassinations of two former U.S. government officials, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton. - The alleged plot, which occurred between October 2021 and April 2022, is believed by the FBI to be retaliation for the U.S. strike that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. - Poursafi allegedly offered up to $300,000 to carry out the killing of John Bolton. The FBI has placed Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on its Most Wanted Terrorists list. Poursafi is accused of soliciting the murders of two former U.S. government officials. The alleged plot took place between October 2021 and April 2022. Investigators believe the actions were in retaliation for the U.S. strike in January 2020 that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. According to court documents, Poursafi allegedly offered up to $300,000 to carry out the killing of former National Security Advisor John Bolton. The FBI also named three other alleged IRGC officials from the same unit, the Qods Force: Mohammad Reza Ansari, Abolfazl Alizadeh, and Mohammad Hossein Shamoradizadeh. Ansari is described as a deputy who supported IRGC operations in Syria and allegedly helped plan assassinations. Alizadeh and Shamoradizadeh are identified as battalion commanders involved in lethal plotting operations. ## Disagreements in reporting The reports do not disagree on the core facts of the FBI's announcement regarding Shahram Poursafi and the alleged assassination plot. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific roles of Mohammad Reza Ansari, Abolfazl Alizadeh, and Mohammad Hossein Shamoradizadeh beyond their general alleged involvement in plotting operations. The centre-rated report provided these details, including Ansari's alleged role as a deputy supporting operations in Syria. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 12% (1) - Right: 88% (7) 1 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-12T11:45:21.691617+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-12T12:00:25.937Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Internewscast, which provided a full report, led with the FBI adding an IRGC operative to its Most Wanted Terrorists list for allegedly plotting to kill former U.S. officials. It detailed that Shahram Poursafi is accused of soliciting murders between October 2021 and April 2022, and that the FBI believes this was retaliation for the U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani. The report noted Poursafi allegedly offered up to $300,000 for the killing of John Bolton and identified three other alleged IRGC officials involved. It quoted Gregory Heeb of the FBI’s Washington Field Office stating the FBI would continue disrupting plots and pursuing IRGC members threatening people in the U.S. ### Right - The right-rated reports, which were all digests, focused on the FBI adding an IRGC member to its Most Wanted Terror list for plotting to kill U.S. officials. Several reports highlighted that the plots were likely intended as retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Qasem Soleimani, citing court documents. Some digests included a statement attributed to the bureau: "The bureau said it 'will not stand for the IRGC’s brazen attempts to silence, harm or murder activists, dissidents, journalists, public officials or anyone else it deems a threat.'" Other digests mentioned that Shahram Poursafi allegedly sought to pay $300,000 to have John Bolton killed, linking the plot to retaliation for Soleimani’s death. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 4 - high: 3 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WIN](https://worldisraelnews.com/fbi-adds-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-member-to-most-wanted-terror-list-for-plotting-to-kill-us-officials) — FBI adds Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member to ‘Most Wanted’ terror list for plotting to kill US officials - [Jewish News Syndicate](https://jns.org/news/u-s-news/fbi-adds-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-member-to-most-wanted-terror-list-for-plotting-to-kill-us-officials) — FBI adds Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member to ‘Most Wanted’ terror list for plotting to kill US officials - [Cleveland Jewish News](https://clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/fbi-adds-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-member-to-most-wanted-terror-list-for-plotting-to/article_0de14b19-6211-5e94-a23e-f8747baa04ff.html) — FBI adds Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member to ‘Most Wanted’ terror list for plotting to kill US officials - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/irgc-operative-hits-fbis-most-wanted-in-ex-trump-aide-kill-plot) — IRGC Operative Hits FBI’s Most Wanted in Ex-Trump Aide Kill Plot - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/us/iranian-irgc-operative-added-to-fbis-most-wanted-terrorists-list-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-former-trump-adviser) — Iranian IRGC Operative Added to FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List Over Alleged Plot to Kill Former Trump Adviser - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/irgc-operative-lands-on-fbis-most-wanted-terrorists-list-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-former-trump-adviser) — IRGC operative lands on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list over alleged plot to kill former Trump adviser - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [WVII / Fox Bangor](https://foxbangor.com/news/national/irgc-operative-lands-on-fbi-s-most-wanted-terrorists-list-over-alleged-plot-to-kill/article_c4203b8c-3de2-560a-8b7e-8b9abf5482a2.html) — IRGC operative lands on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list over alleged plot to kill former Trump advisor - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/us/irgc-operative-lands-fbis-most-wanted-terrorists-list-alleged-plot-kill-former-trump-adviser) — IRGC operative lands on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list over alleged plot to kill former Trump advisor - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/11/10/irgc-operative-lands-on-fbis-most-wanted-terrorists-list-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-former-trump-adviser) — IRGC operative lands on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list over alleged plot to kill former Trump adviser ## Questions **Who is Shahram Poursafi and why is he on the FBI's Most Wanted list?** Shahram Poursafi is an alleged member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The FBI added him to its Most Wanted Terrorists list for allegedly soliciting the murders of two former U.S. government officials, including John Bolton, between October 2021 and April 2022. **What was the alleged motive for the assassination plot?** The FBI believes the alleged plot was intended as retaliation for the U.S. airstrike in January 2020 that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. Poursafi is accused of soliciting the killings as a response to Soleimani's death. **How much money was allegedly offered for the assassination?** Shahram Poursafi allegedly offered up to $300,000 to carry out the killing of former National Security Advisor John Bolton. The FBI also indicated a second 'job' that would pay $1 million was mentioned. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "FBI adds IRGC member to Most Wanted list for alleged assassination plot", https://mediabias.news/conflict/fbi-adds-irgc-member-to-most-wanted-list-for-alleged-assassination-plot