The United States on Friday, November 7, accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, in what officials say was another attempt to extend the countries’ escalating conflict beyond the Middle East.

 

 

 

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force initiated the plan in late 2024, and that it was successfully disrupted earlier this year.

 

 

 

“The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” the official said. “This is just the latest in a long history of Iran’s global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence.”

 

 

 

No further details or evidence were provided on how the alleged operation was stopped. Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.

 

 

 

US intelligence agencies have long warned that Iranian operatives seek targets in Latin America, where Tehran maintains close ties with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

 

 

 

The alleged assassination effort would have followed Israel’s April 2024 attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, an operation that killed several senior Revolutionary Guard officers and triggered vows of retaliation from Tehran. Iran later launched missiles and drones at Israel, and a year after that, Israel carried out a major bombing campaign inside Iran that killed more than 1,000 people, with US forces joining to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

 

 

 

Iran is a key supporter of Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel ignited the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel’s response has expanded across the region, with strikes on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen.

 

 

 

Israeli intelligence has repeatedly accused the Quds Force of plotting attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets abroad. Australia recently expelled Iran’s ambassador, citing Iranian involvement in arson attacks on a Melbourne synagogue and a kosher restaurant in Sydney.

 

 

 

Latin America has previously seen violence linked to Middle East tensions, including the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Argentina and Israel blame Hezbollah, allegedly acting on Iran’s orders.

 

 

 

Despite the Iranian government’s hostility toward Israel, Iran remains home to a historic Jewish community. Mexico, where the alleged plot was aimed, is also home to a significant Jewish population and maintains diplomatic ties with Israel while taking a more cautious approach to the Gaza conflict.