FBI Adds IRGC Operative Poursafi to Most Wanted Terrorists List Over Bolton Plot

The FBI has added Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operative Shahram Poursafi to its Most Wanted Terrorists list over an alleged plot to murder former national security adviser John Bolton, the bureau's Washington Field Office announced on Tuesday. The bureau also released seeking-information posters for three of Poursafi's associates, in a case built around a $300,000 offer to kill two former American officials.

Key Points

• Who was added: Shahram Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, an IRGC member, joined the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
• The alleged plot: Poursafi is accused of soliciting the murder of two former US officials between October 2021 and April 2022, offering up to $300,000, in a plot targeting former national security adviser John Bolton.
• Three associates named: Posters were released for Mohammad Reza Ansari, Abolfazl Alizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Shamoradizadeh.
• Why it failed: The plot fell through because the American contact Poursafi approached was an FBI confidential source.
• The wider context: The listing comes in the ninth month of the US-Iran war, amid warnings Iranian plotting against American officials has reached an advanced stage.

What Happened

The FBI Washington Field Office announced on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that it had added Shahram Poursafi to its Most Wanted Terrorists list. Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, is an IRGC member. The bureau also released seeking-information posters for three associates: Mohammad Reza Ansari, Abolfazl Alizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Shamoradizadeh.

According to court documents, Poursafi allegedly solicited the murder of two former US government officials between October 2021 and April 2022, offering up to $300,000 to carry out the killings. The documents detail a plot targeting former national security adviser John Bolton, which investigators believe was planned as retaliation for the January 2020 killing of IRGC-Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike. An August 2022 complaint charged Poursafi with using interstate commerce facilities in a murder-for-hire scheme and with providing material support to a transnational murder plot. The plot never reached its target because the person Poursafi approached in the United States was working as an FBI confidential source.

Background and Context

The case against Poursafi has been public since 2022, but Tuesday's listing gives it new weight. The Most Wanted Terrorists list is reserved for people the FBI considers a serious threat to the United States, and it puts a face to the case. The bureau is asking anyone with information about Poursafi or his associates to come forward.

The three associates named alongside him are described by the FBI as senior figures in the IRGC's lethal plotting network. Ansari is an alleged deputy in the IRGC-Qods Force's Unit 840, accused of planning and attempting to assassinate the two officials with Poursafi's support. Alizadeh and Shamoradizadeh are alleged battalion commanders in lethal plotting operations. Ansari and Poursafi were both designated by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in June 2023, a move that froze any US assets.

The listing arrives amid heightened concern about Iranian threats. The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, 2026, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently moved with his family onto a US military base after threats against his life reached what one senior official called "more than an advanced stage". At least six other senior Trump administration officials have taken similar steps in the past year.

FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List Adds Shahram Poursafi

The decision to place Poursafi on the Most Wanted Terrorists list signals that the FBI still regards him as an active threat, more than four years after the alleged solicitation began. The bureau does not add names to the list casually: it is a public appeal for information, and a warning to would-be intermediaries.

The timing matters. The listing came the same week that US prosecutors charged three Iran-backed operatives over an alleged terror plot against RAF Fairford in Britain, and days after Iran's security chief said no negotiations with Washington were under way and the Strait of Hormuz would stay shut until seven Iranian conditions were met. For Bolton, the listing is a reminder that the threat against him has not faded.

Reactions and Quotes

Gregory Heeb, the FBI Washington Field Office's counterterrorism chief, left no doubt about how the bureau views the case. "The FBI 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," Heeb said in the announcement.

Seeking-information posters are designed to generate tips, and the FBI is betting that someone, somewhere, knows where Poursafi and his associates are. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department has said whether any new charges accompany the listing, and no statement from Poursafi or the Iranian government was reported. Iran has previously denied plotting attacks on US soil.

Why It Matters

First, the listing shows that the alleged Bolton plot is not a closed file. Four years after the solicitation, the FBI is still investing public effort in finding Poursafi, suggesting investigators believe he remains active and capable of trying again.

Second, it underlines how the US-Iran war has widened beyond the battlefield. The threat picture now includes alleged assassination plots against former officials, threats that have driven cabinet secretaries onto military bases, and terror cases reaching as far as a British air base. The war is being fought in courtrooms and on wanted lists as well as at sea.

Third, the case tests the limits of deterrence. The Treasury designated Poursafi in 2023, the Justice Department charged him in 2022, and the FBI is still looking for him in 2026. Each step raises the cost for Iran, yet the men behind the plots remain out of reach.

What Happens Next

The immediate next step is the public appeal itself. The FBI will be watching for tips generated by the posters, and any credible lead could lead to new charges, new designations or new diplomatic pressure.

Prosecutors may also use the renewed attention to build on the 2022 case. The confidential source who derailed the original plot remains the foundation of the case. If Poursafi or his associates are ever detained, the murder-for-hire and material-support charges are already in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Shahram Poursafi? An IRGC member, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list on November 10, 2026, over an alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Who was the plot targeting? Court documents detail a plot targeting Bolton, believed to be retaliation for the January 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani.

How much was offered? Prosecutors say Poursafi offered up to $300,000 to murder two former US government officials between October 2021 and April 2022.

Why did the plot fail? The American contact Poursafi approached to carry out the killing was an FBI confidential source.

Who are the three associates? Mohammad Reza Ansari, an alleged deputy in the IRGC-Qods Force's Unit 840, and Abolfazl Alizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Shamoradizadeh, alleged battalion commanders in lethal plotting operations.

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