NEW YORK — An Iranian military officer has been charged in connection with the assassination of an American citizen in Iraq during 2022. Authorities in New York revealed on Friday that Mohammad Reza Nouri, a captain in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, is facing multiple charges of murder and terrorism in Manhattan federal court, which could lead to a life sentence or even the death penalty for certain counts.
Currently detained in Iraq, Nouri has already been found guilty by an Iraqi court regarding the murder of Stephen Troell, a 40-year-old American originally from Tennessee. Troell was shot dead in his vehicle by unidentified assailants as he arrived home in Baghdad’s Karrada neighborhood. At the time of his death, he was employed by Global English Institute, a language institution functioning under the Texas-based non-profit Millennium Relief and Development Services.
Troell’s murder was notable as it was one of the rare incidents involving a foreign national in a country that has seen improvements in security over recent years. U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim stated in a press release that Nouri was responsible for orchestrating the assassination of Troell in November 2022. “Nouri is alleged to have gathered intelligence on Troell’s daily habits and location, acquired weapons and vehicles, and provided sanctuary for the operatives executing this brutal plot against Troell in front of his spouse,” Kim explained.
Kim pointed out that the Iranian government seems to be systematically targeting American citizens, such as Troell, residing globally, using methods like kidnapping and execution to both silence dissidents and avenge the death of Qassem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian military figure eliminated by an American drone strike in January 2020.
In the court filings, U.S. officials noted that Nouri celebrated the murder with an accomplice on the day of the act and fled Iraq for Iran shortly thereafter. Before his departure from Baghdad, Nouri reportedly visited a religious site associated with rituals mourning Soleimani’s demise. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized in the announcement that the Justice Department is committed to confronting terrorism and authoritarian governance that targets American lives worldwide.
In a related incident last month, the Justice Department brought to light an alleged Iranian murder-for-hire scheme targeting former President Donald Trump, revealing that an individual had been instructed by an Iranian government official to plot the assassination prior to the election.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, dismissed this claim, labeling it a fabrication orchestrated by factions linked to Israel aimed at complicating Iran-U.S. dynamics, as reported by the IRNA news agency. He added that Iran has consistently rejected similar accusations as unfounded and erroneous.