Mossad interrogates IRGC member in Iran; Iranian source: It's ridiculous; Pentagon: We won't comment
The Noor News website, which is close to the Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, wrote on Monday that a report about the interrogation of a member of the IRGC's Quds Force inside Iran by Mossad is a "media fabrication."
According to a report by Iran International Network and Israeli media, a person named Mansour Rasouli, a short audio file of his statements was broadcast, was assigned by the IRGC's Quds Force to assassinate an employee of the Israeli consulate in Turkey, an American general in Germany, and a journalist in France.
In contrast, the security website Noornews says that he is an "anonymous individual" and that the voice released is "unconfirmed."
But in another response, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference on Monday, responding to a question about the plot to assassinate an American general in Germany, that he was “not commenting” on the matter. He also stressed that Iran continues its activities as a “bad actor in the Middle East” and continues to “support terrorist groups.”
Reports of Iran's attempt to assassinate an American general in Germany have emerged as discussions continue regarding the removal of the Revolutionary Guard Corps from the US government's list of terrorist organizations, which has been described as the last obstacle to the revival of the JCPOA.
Yesterday, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian security official, that this is a red line for Iran and that the US must remove the IRGC from this list. Iran's insistence continues despite previous reports that Joe Biden is unwilling to remove the IRGC from this list.
The US government says that Iran is not willing to make a public commitment to reducing regional tensions, and the Revolutionary Guard is also planning retaliatory operations against some Trump administration officials who, according to Iran, played a role in the operation to kill Qassem Soleimani, and that the US cannot agree to Iran's request under such circumstances.
The Israeli media report on this case did not provide further details about the plan to assassinate the American general in Germany, but the media wrote that Mossad forces went to Iran to interrogate "Mansour Rasouli" and "interrogated" him in front of the camera.
Some reports even claim that this person was interrogated in his own home.
Radio Farda cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of the audio broadcast and the content published in Israeli media.
Israeli media reports also do not explain what capabilities Mansour Rasouli had that led the IRGC's Quds Force to assign him three assassination missions in Turkey, France, and Germany. However, some reports have described him as a drug trafficker in the service of the IRGC.
The Noor News website called this narrative "ridiculous" and "fictional," and wrote that the Israeli government has been "under intense pressure" and "desperate" in recent days and has tried "to somehow relieve itself of this pressure, even temporarily, by projecting and publishing ridiculous news."
Iran and Israel have been embroiled in numerous cases in the nuclear, security, and cyber fields in recent years. The Iranian government had previously dismissed as ridiculous some reports of Israeli operations on Iranian soil, including the theft of Iran's nuclear archive or the presence of radioactive materials in a warehouse in Turqoozabad, but after a while it officially accepted these reports.
Source: Radio Farda
