The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged Iranian asset, with plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, orchestrated by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in retaliation for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has dismissed these allegations as baseless, accusing them of being conspiracies devised by anti-Iranian factions to strain U.S.-Iran relations. Shakeri, believed to be in Iran, allegedly recruited New Yorkers Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt to target Trump, Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, and Jewish businessmen in the U.S. The FBI foiled the plot, which included plans to target these individuals. The U.S. continues to view Iran as a significant threat to national security.