The United States on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, in what would mark the latest attempt to extend the conflict between the two nations into new regions.
According to a US official, the scheme was initiated by the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force in late 2024 and was disrupted earlier this year.
“The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“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.”
The official did not provide further details on the evidence or the methods used to thwart the plot. Meanwhile, Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
US intelligence has previously warned that Iranian operatives have sought targets in Latin America, a region where Tehran maintains a tactical alliance with Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro.
The alleged assassination attempt would have followed Israel’s April 1, 2024 attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, a stronghold allied with Tehran, which resulted in the deaths of several top Revolutionary Guards officers.
That assault prompted Iran to vow retaliation, launching missiles and drones at Israel. A year later, Israel responded with a larger bombing campaign in Iran, reportedly killing more than 1,000 people, while the United States, Israel’s key ally, joined in striking critical sites of Iran’s contested nuclear program.
Iran’s cleric-led state has long supported Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that carried out an unprecedented assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel responded with a devastating military campaign that has left much of Gaza in ruins and expanded its operations across the region, targeting locations in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, and Yemen.
Israeli intelligence has repeatedly accused the Quds Force of targeting Israeli and Jewish figures abroad.
Australia, for instance, expelled Iran’s ambassador after linking Iranian operatives to two arson attacks, a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher restaurant in Sydney.
Latin America has also experienced violence connected to the Middle East. The 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires killed 85 people, with Argentina and Israel attributing the attack to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah acting on Iran’s orders.
Despite the cleric-led government’s hostility toward Israel, Iran is home to a historic Jewish community. Mexico, likewise home to a sizable Jewish population, has recognized Israel since the country’s founding.
Mexico, known for its principle of non-intervention, has taken a cautious stance on the Gaza conflict, supporting an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes while maintaining diplomatic relations.
