The charges made public Tuesday against the official, Ruhollah Bazghandi, are the first to accuse an Iranian government official by name in the alleged plot to kill journalist Masih Alinejad. Prosecutors allege they were enlisted to carry out the assassination of Alinejad in the United States. Bazghandi allegedly discussed the plot to murder Alinejad with a second defendant, Haj Taher. Taher, in turn, communicated about the plot defendants Hossein Sedighi and Mohammad Forouzan, prosecutors say, including about payment for the murder. Taher, Sedighi and Forouzan also have connections to the Iranian government, prosecutors allege.

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Persons: Ruhollah Bazghandi, Masih Alinejad, Bazghandi, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, ” Alinejad, Ali Khamenei’s IRGC, “, ”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, General ”, Qasem Soleimani, Javad, Haj Taher, Taher, Hossein Sedighi, Mohammad Forouzan, Sedighi, Forouzan, Rafat Amirov, Amirov, Polad, Zailat, CNN’s Kara Scannell Organizations: CNN, Federal, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Eastern, ”, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Treasury Department, Qods Force, Amirov Locations: New York, Iran, United States, Iran’s, American, Iranian, New York City, IRGC, Syria, ”, France