Report: U.S. Media to Publish List of Officials to be Targeted by Iran
Iran is plotting attacks on politicians and diplomats in several countries, including Lebanese figures, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported on Thursday.
The daily said that U.S. media is expected to publish in the upcoming weeks reports about an Iranian network, which has planned to carry out assassination attempts.
Sources told al-Rai that the U.S. administration obtained information on a list of figures that Iran will target, which includes former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat.
They pointed out that the list includes other politicians.
On April 4, the LF chief was the victim of a failed sniper attack at his Maarab residence.
According to the sources, Iran would “reactivate its agents, who belong to world criminal networks and Hizbullah.”
A Washington Post report on Monday cited unnamed U.S. and Middle Eastern security officials as saying evidence had been amassed showing Iran or Hizbullah were behind plots to kill two Saudi officials, half a dozen Israelis, several Americans and other targets in at least seven countries, including Azerbaijan.
Sources told the paper the plots were seen as part of an ongoing covert war in which Iran also has been the victim of assassinations.
It claimed that activity for the plots abruptly halted earlier this year, when Iran agreed to hold talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear program.
The last round of the talks, between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group comprising the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, took place in Baghdad last week and ended inconclusively.
The next round of those talks are to take place in Moscow on June 18-19 as both sides publicly harden their positions for what are likely to be extremely tense negotiations over Iran's controversial nuclear program and Western sanctions.
However, Iran's U.N. mission has strongly denied the report alleging evidence existed implicating Tehran or its Lebanese ally Hizbullah in international assassination plots.
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