WASHINGTON – On Thursday, the Biden administration announced a $20 million reward for information about a member of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at former national security adviser John Bolton.

The reward for Shahram Poursafi was declared just two days after former President Donald Trump revealed that U.S. intelligence officials had updated him on “real and specific” threats from Iran against his safety.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed on Wednesday that the government is closely monitoring “genuine threats” posed by Iran to several senior officials, including former leaders like President Trump and current administration members.

In their announcement, U.S. officials explained that Poursafi’s actions are part of a more extensive Iranian campaign for vengeance against the United States, particularly targeting officials from the Trump administration such as Bolton, following Trump’s directive that led to the death of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

Officials indicated that the threat remains persistent, stating that Poursafi, based in Iran, “is believed to be working” through the IRGC’s international paramilitary force, the Qods Force, to plot Bolton’s assassination.

According to the reward announcement, Poursafi, who was 45 at the time, attempted to enlist “criminal elements within the United States” to execute Bolton in the Washington, D.C., area from October 2021 to April 2022, offering a payment of $300,000 for the hit.

The charges against Poursafi suggest he provided support that would help in Bolton’s murder. He allegedly informed the hitman, who later became a confidential informant for U.S. authorities, that he would have another assassination job worth $1 million waiting once Bolton was killed.

In a Thursday interview with YSL News, Bolton commended the State Department for announcing the reward for Poursafi’s capture and prosecution.

“This action is entirely appropriate from a law enforcement perspective,” Bolton stated, noting that he believes the Biden administration must adopt strategies that extend beyond law enforcement to address Iran’s attempts on the lives of U.S. officials.

“This really poses a direct threat of war, and the Biden administration should respond accordingly, not only from a law enforcement standpoint but also from a national security angle,” Bolton expressed.

Having served as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019, Bolton remarked that news of an active plot is not surprising given the circumstances surrounding Soleimani’s assassination.

“I can’t explain why the Iranians chose to act now, just two months before the election,” Bolton commented, “but the threat against us has been evident for a long time.”

Matthew Levitt, a former deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Treasury, observed that the high reward amount reflects significant U.S. concerns over Iranian activities.

“That’s a substantial reward. Typically, it’s much lower. This indicates serious intent,” said Levitt, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “There might be someone who thinks, ‘I’ve wanted to leave Iran anyway, and this could financially secure my future.'”

However, Levitt cautioned, “It’s fair to say that Poursafi is likely safe in Iran and unlikely to travel to a nation where U.S. forces could capture him.”