US accuses Iran of attempting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico

The United States on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger. According to senior U.S. officials who spoke to several national media outlets, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard allegedly began planning the attack late last year, but “the plot was contained and does not pose a current threat.”

The operation that foiled the assassination attempt, described anonymously by those officials, took place before the summer. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that it had thanked Mexican security services for thwarting “a terrorist network directed by Iran.” Mexican government sources declined to comment when contacted by EL PAÍS on Friday.

The U.S. has long warned that Iranian authorities maintain an extensive overseas network — particularly in Latin America — ready to strike U.S. and Israeli targets. “This is just the latest example in a long history of assassination attempts by Iran around the world against diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with it - something that should raise deep concern in any country where there is an Iranian presence,” said one U.S. official.

According to Axios, the plot bore the signature of Unit 11000, which for years has recruited agents sympathetic to Iran’s regime across Latin America. The same outlet reported that the plan was allegedly conceived from Iran’s embassy in Venezuela.

British media also reported that by late 2024, Western intelligence agencies had uncovered a suspected assassination plot linked to Hasan Izadi, a senior officer in Iran’s Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Revolutionary Guard. Investigations claim that Izadi — also known as Masood Rahnema — acted as a double agent and led the plan to kill the Israeli ambassador.

Sources cited by the Daily Mail said Izadi had been assigned as second counselor at Iran’s embassy in Venezuela, a diplomatic post that U.S. and allied officials now believe served as cover for lethal operations targeting U.S. and Israeli officials. While in Caracas, Izadi reportedly maintained regular contact with Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Intelligence reports indicate that he traveled through Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, orchestrating a network of informants and facilitators across Latin America.

There is no information about the identities of the suspects, and it is not known whether any arrests have been made.

“The Israeli intelligence and security community will continue to work tirelessly, in full cooperation with security and intelligence agencies around the world, to thwart terror threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide,” said Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

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