Authorities previously arrested Farhad Shakeri in connection with an alleged murder plot in 2024; two others, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, were also detained. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department charged "an asset of the Iranian regime" accused of directing a network to further assassination plots on U.S. soil.
Trump has warned Iran would be "obliterated" if they succeeded in harming him, saying "I've left instructions" in a Feb. 2025 interview. On Feb. 28 the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated bombings, and Trump later claimed nine Iranian naval ships were "destroyed and sunk," citing concerns over Iran's nuclear research.