{"id":2162261,"date":"2024-01-29T17:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T22:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-uses-drug-kingpin-to-assassinate-overseas-critics-and-defectors\/"},"modified":"2024-01-29T17:04:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T22:04:26","slug":"iran-uses-drug-kingpin-to-assassinate-overseas-critics-and-defectors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-uses-drug-kingpin-to-assassinate-overseas-critics-and-defectors\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran employs drug kingpins to carry out assassinations of critics and defectors abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firan-uses-drug-kingpin-to-assassinate-overseas-critics-and-defectors%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2162261&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Iranian Drug Dealer Foiled in Assassination Plot<\/h2>\n<p>An Iranian drug\u2062 dealer,\u2064 working on behalf of Iran&#8217;s security services, recently attempted to coordinate the assassination of a defector in Maryland, according to U.S. officials.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thanks to the skilled work of federal prosecutors and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crenshaw-the-lie-of-systemic-police-racism-that-kills\/\" title=\"CRENSHAW: The Lie Of \u2018Systemic Police Racism\u2019 That Kills\">law enforcement agents<\/a>, this murder-for-hire conspiracy was disrupted and the defendants will face justice,&#8221; stated U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department revealed the details of the plot in an indictment, naming Naji Sharifi-Zindashti as the coordinator based in Iran. The operation also involved\u200b a Canadian co-conspirator who is a member of the notorious Hell&#8217;s Angels Motorcycle Club. The indictment was released alongside\u2062 economic\u200c sanctions aimed at dismantling the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security network responsible for coordinating overseas\u200b attacks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Iranian regime&#8217;s ongoing efforts to\u200b target dissidents and activists highlight\u200c their deep insecurity and their desire to extend their domestic repression internationally,&#8221; said Treasury Department undersecretary Brian Nelson. &#8220;The United States,\u200d along with our\u200c international allies and partners, including the \u200dUnited \u2064Kingdom, will continue to combat the Iranian regime&#8217;s transnational repression and will use all available tools\u200b to counter this threat, especially on U.S. soil.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The United Kingdom has also joined forces in this crackdown,\u200d following \u2064their recent disruption of a separate\u200d plot to assassinate employees of Iran International, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putins-mercenaries-flown-in-from-africa-with-hit-list-of-24-including-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-report\/\" title=\"Putin's Mercenaries Flown in from Africa with Hit List of 24, Including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy: Report\">media outlet based<\/a> in the UK that openly criticizes the Tehran regime.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Iranian regime and the criminal gangs it supports pose an unacceptable\u2063 threat to the security of the UK,&#8221; declared British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. &#8220;Today&#8217;s actions expose the roles of Iranian officials and criminal\u200c gangs involved in activities\u2064 aimed at undermining, silencing, and disrupting the democratic freedoms we cherish in the UK. The UK and US have sent a clear message &#8211; we will not tolerate this threat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. officials have linked Sharif-Zindashti to two other operations in 2017 \u200dand 2019, resulting in the murders \u2064of three Iranian dissidents in Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Since the beginning of \u20642022, the UK has responded to at least 15 credible\u200b threats and plots by the Iranian regime to kill\u200d British or UK-based individuals,&#8221; stated Cameron&#8217;s team. &#8220;The regime has publicly called for the killing of these individuals and,\u2062 in some cases, has detained and\u200c harassed their families in Iran.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What actions\u200b has the U.S. government taken in response to the foiled \u2063assassination plot and what\u2064 will other countries&#8217; response be in condemning Iran&#8217;s actions<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Iran. The indictment claims that Sharifi-Zindashti was working for Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a \u2064branch of\u2062 the country&#8217;s security \u200bservices.<\/p>\n<p>According to the \u2064indictment, the\u200d target of the assassination plot \u2064was an Iranian defector and activist who had been living in Maryland. The defector had been openly critical of the Iranian government and had become a thorn in their side, making him a prime target for retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>The plan involved\u200d recruiting individuals to carry out the assassination and providing \u2063them with the necessary resources. Sharifi-Zindashti allegedly reached out to an undercover agent, whom he believed to be a hitman,\u200b to carry out the \u200djob. However, the agent was actually an informant working with U.S. law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200ccoordination between the informant and Sharifi-Zindashti allowed law enforcement to gather evidence against him and build a strong case. \u2063They were able to intercept communications, track financial transactions, and \u200bgather other crucial information that further revealed the depth of the plot.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment also accuses the IRGC of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-rolls-out-rental-aid-program-financed-by-mansion-tax\/\" title=\"LA launches rental aid program funded by 'Mansion Tax'.\">providing financial \u2063support<\/a> and resources \u2064to Sharifi-Zindashti for the purpose of carrying out the assassination. This further establishes the Iranian government&#8217;s involvement\u2062 in \u200dthe plot.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. officials have condemned the assassination attempt \u2064and called it a blatant violation of international norms. They have\u2063 also emphasized the importance of holding those responsible accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n<p>This \u2063incident serves as a reminder of the lengths to\u2064 which the Iranian government will\u2063 go to silence dissent and eliminate perceived threats. The fact that they would resort to coordinating assassinations on foreign soil demonstrates their disregard for national boundaries and the safety of individuals living outside their jurisdiction.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063foiling of this assassination plot is a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-owned-spyware-firms-blacklisted-by-us-commerce-department-over-national-security-risks\/\" title=\"US Commerce Department blacklists Israeli spyware firms due to national security risks.\">law enforcement\u200b agencies<\/a>\u200c in \u2062protecting the safety and security of their citizens. It also highlights the close collaboration and information sharing between U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies that led to the successful disruption\u200c of \u2064the \u2063conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government has \u200dcalled on the international community to condemn Iran&#8217;s actions and hold\u2062 them accountable for their involvement in \u200bthis plot. It remains \u2064to be \u2063seen how other \u2063countries will respond to this incident and whether they will take any \u200bconcrete measures against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>This foiled assassination plot is a stark reminder of the threats posed by Iran \u200band the need for\u200c continued vigilance in combating their illicit activities. The international community must\u2063 remain united in denouncing Iran&#8217;s actions and taking steps to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grandmother-sues-school-district-after-her-granddaughter-was-secretly-transitioned-and-trafficked\/\" title=\"Grandmother sues school district over granddaughter's secret transition and trafficking.\">prevent similar \u200bincidents<\/a> in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Statement. An Iranian drug dealer, acting on behalf of Iran&#8217;s security services, tried to arrange the killing of a defector in Maryland. US officials praised the efforts of federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents for thwarting the murder plot. The defendants will now be held accountable for their actions, according to US Attorney Andrew Luger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2743,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2162261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2743"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2162261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2162261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2162261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2162261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}