The United States has accused Iran of orchestrating a plot to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, marking a dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
According to a US official, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force initiated the assassination plan in late 2024. The plot, which was reportedly disrupted earlier this year, posed no ongoing threat. “The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official further described the plot as part of “a long history of Iran’s global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents, and anyone who disagrees with them,” warning that it should concern every nation where Iran has a presence. No additional evidence or operational details were released.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the accusation.
US intelligence has long warned that Iranian operatives seek targets in Latin America, where Tehran maintains strategic ties with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. The alleged assassination plan followed Israel’s April 1, 2024, airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, which killed several top officers of the Revolutionary Guards. That incident triggered Iranian vows of revenge and missile strikes against Israel.
In response, Israel launched a massive retaliatory bombing campaign inside Iran a year later, killing more than 1,000 people. The United States, Israel’s key ally, reportedly assisted by targeting key sites linked to Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
Iran, a staunch supporter of Hamas, has remained a central player in the broader regional conflict since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israel’s subsequent military response devastated Gaza and expanded to include strikes on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, and Yemen.
The Quds Force has also been accused of planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. Recently, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador over alleged Iranian involvement in arson attacks against a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher restaurant in Sydney.
Latin America has a history of Middle East-linked violence—notably the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, which both Argentina and Israel attributed to Hezbollah acting under Iran’s direction.
Despite its government’s hostility toward Israel, Iran remains home to a historic Jewish population. Mexico, which recognized Israel early on, hosts a large Jewish community and has adopted a cautious stance in the Gaza conflict—supporting investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes while maintaining diplomatic ties with Jerusalem.
What you should know
The US government alleges that Iran’s Quds Force plotted to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico in late 2024, a plan it says was foiled earlier this year.
The accusation reflects growing global tensions surrounding the Iran-Israel conflict, which has expanded far beyond the Middle East and increasingly involves nations across Latin America.
