WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said on Sunday they had disrupted a suspected terror plot linked to Iran as federal authorities heightened security measures amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, while stressing that no attack was carried out and the investigation remains active.
The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the case formed part of a broader effort to counter threats allegedly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against U.S. officials and political figures. Authorities said the plot was thwarted through coordinated law enforcement operations before any planned attack could be executed.
Officials did not announce new arrests on Sunday but pointed to previous prosecutions involving individuals accused of acting on behalf of Iranian security services. Earlier this year, a federal jury convicted Asif Merchant, whom prosecutors identified as an IRGC operative, on charges including murder-for-hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Prosecutors said Merchant traveled to the United States in 2024 seeking to recruit individuals he believed would carry out assassinations of U.S. politicians or government officials, but the supposed hitmen were undercover law enforcement officers.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said after the March verdict that the Justice Department would remain vigilant against foreign-directed terrorism. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau and its partners had prevented the alleged plot before it could advance beyond the planning stage, adding that the case underscored the continuing threat posed by foreign intelligence services operating through intermediaries.
The renewed attention to homeland security comes as military tensions between the United States and Iran have intensified following recent confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials have warned that heightened regional conflict can increase the risk of retaliatory or proxy threats against American interests at home and abroad, although they have not publicly linked any specific current operational threat to Sunday's announcement.
Iran has consistently rejected U.S. accusations that it directs terrorist operations on American soil. Tehran has previously denied involvement in alleged assassination or terrorism plots cited by U.S. authorities.
The Justice Department has also pursued other terrorism-related cases involving individuals accused of acting on behalf of Iranian-backed organizations. In May, prosecutors announced charges against a dual Iranian-Iraqi national accused of supporting designated foreign terrorist organizations and participating in planning attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests. The defendant has been indicted, and the allegations remain to be tested in court.
Federal officials said they would continue monitoring potential threats while urging the public to report suspicious activity. No changes to the national terrorism advisory system were announced, and authorities said there was no indication of an imminent attack at the time of the latest briefing.
