Iran's Assassins | 60 Minutes Archive

Rising Tensions and Iran's Proxy Attacks00:02

Tensions keep rising between the US and Iran since the Israel-Hamas war began. Almost every week, Iranian-backed militias have attacked US bases in Syria and Iraq. This is the latest example and a serious escalation of Tehran's use of proxy fighters like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Iran's Global Hitmen Network on US Soil00:30

Tehran hires hitmen around the world to intimidate, abduct, and assassinate perceived enemies of the regime, including on US soil. A video posted online by a channel affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard vows to kill former American government officials, including President Trump, to avenge the 2020 US assassination of terrorism mastermind Qasem Soleimani.

Threats like this have been deemed credible enough that several officials have been under round-the-clock protection, including former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Iran reportedly offered a hitman $1 million to kill him), and John Bolton, former national security adviser.

They bargained the price for me would be $300,000, which I have to say I found insulting.

So, what exactly was the plot against you? The Revolutionary Guard sought to procure either my kidnapping or my assassination, not directly by a Revolutionary Guard member, but by seeking a hitman who would carry out the job either in the US or abroad.

The FBI has an arrest warrant out for this Iranian officer, claiming he hired the hitman online to travel to Washington, corner Bolton in a garage, and kill him. The assassin turned out to be an FBI informant.