The United States on Friday accused Iran of “plotting to assassinate” Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, alleging a covert operation that, if carried out, would have expanded the long-running conflict between the two countries into a new region. A US official said the plan was initiated late last year by the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force and was disrupted earlier this year before it could advance.
According to the official, the operation “was contained and does not pose a current threat,” though no specific evidence or details were provided about how US authorities foiled the alleged plot. The Iranian mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the accusations.
Washington claims the plot followed Israel’s April 1 strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, an attack that killed several senior officers of the Revolutionary Guards. Since then, tensions have escalated dramatically. Israel launched a far more extensive bombing campaign inside Iran earlier this year, killing more than 1,000 people, while the United States joined in by targeting key nuclear sites.
The Biden administration has repeatedly accused Iran of fuelling regional instability through its backing of armed groups, including Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since winning elections in 2007. US officials say Iran’s support for Hamas and other militias has deepened the security crisis across the Middle East, with the alleged assassination plot seen as another sign of Tehran’s expanding confrontation with Israel and its allies.
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