US Court Sentences Man to 15 Years Over Plot to Kill Iranian-American Journalist

A federal court in Brooklyn sentenced Mansour Arbabsiar to 15 years in prison on January 28, 2026, for his role in a long-running international plot to assassinate an Iranian-American journalist critical of the Iranian government. The conviction stems from Arbabsiar’s 2023 guilty plea to conspiring with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force in a plan to kill the journalist in New York, employing explosive devices and contacts abroad. Prosecutors and press freedom advocates described the sentence as a firm denunciation of violent schemes aimed at silencing dissenting journalists on U.S. soil, and a reminder of the ongoing risks faced by reporters who challenge powerful governments. The judge rejected defense pleas for leniency despite Arbabsiar’s advanced age and health concerns, emphasizing that plotting violence against a journalist undermines freedom of expression.