The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a public alert regarding Seyed Yahya Hosseini Panjaki, also known as Seyed Yahya Hamidi, a high-ranking figure within the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The FBI is seeking information about Panjaki in connection with his alleged role in coordinating international terrorist plots and targeted assassinations.
In its official statement, the FBI described Panjaki as the head of the Directorate for Internal Security within the MOIS and Deputy Minister of Intelligence for Israel affairs. The Bureau emphasized his leadership role in organizing a network of violent operations against Iranian dissidents and political opposition figures abroad.
“Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning in connection with alleged worldwide lethal plots and terror activity,” the FBI stated, highlighting his use of intelligence and operational networks in collaboration with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “This includes cyber capabilities and coordinated actions between the MOIS and the IRGC.”
Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning by the FBI in connection with alleged worldwide lethal plots & terror activity using intelligence networks, operational networks, & cyber capabilities, including via cooperation between the MOIS & Iran's IRGC: https://t.co/rqKmZfO4h5 pic.twitter.com/Sw23tXbvhS
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) May 23, 2025
Targeting Dissidents Abroad
The FBI specifically pointed to Panjaki’s oversight of the Naji Sharifi Zindashti criminal network, which was involved in targeting U.S.-based Iranian dissidents between December 2020 and March 2021. Panjaki is also identified as the superior of Iranian intelligence officer Reza Hamidi Ravari, who is likewise wanted for questioning by U.S. authorities.
Seyed Yahya Panjaki was born on January 23, 1975, in Karaj, Iran. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Azad University of Tabriz and has authored academic publications. Despite his scholarly background, Panjaki has become one of the central figures in the Iranian regime’s extraterritorial campaign of repression.
Architect of Assassination and Sabotage Operations
Panjaki is widely considered a key architect of the Iranian regime’s overseas assassination and sabotage apparatus. Under his command, the Iranian regime has employed narcotics traffickers, operatives from proxy militias such as Hezbollah, and undercover agents embedded in diplomatic missions and business enterprises to carry out attacks on regime opponents.
THREAD
For more than four decades, the clerical regime in #Iran has consistently blackmailed other nations and considered #extremism as "leverage". 1/9https://t.co/ieaaOkZb6y pic.twitter.com/W9u5BJHXqs— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 6, 2022
Among his most infamous operations was his involvement in the foiled 2018 bombing plot targeting the Free Iran rally of the Iranian Resistance in 2018. The incident led to the conviction of Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, exposing the regime’s use of diplomatic cover for acts of terrorism.
Panjaki’s network has also been linked to high-profile assassinations in Europe, including the killing of Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi in the Netherlands, and targeted murders of activists and journalists in Turkey.
Qasem Soleimani Unit and IRGC Collaboration
In addition to his formal role at the MOIS, Panjaki reportedly founded the so-called “Martyr Soleimani” unit—named after former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. This clandestine unit specializes in global sabotage operations carried out in coordination with the IRGC and the regime’s network of proxy forces. The unit’s missions are designed to obscure any direct ties to the Iranian regime while advancing its strategic and ideological agenda abroad.
One of those sanctioned is "Yahya Hosseini Panjaki, serving as the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) deputy intelligence minister, where he oversees the Iranian regime’s efforts to assassinate Iranian dissidents abroad…Panjaki played a role in the attempted… https://t.co/1lTezadINz
— Alireza Jafarzadeh (@A_Jafarzadeh) September 19, 2024
Sanctions and International Repercussions
As a result of his role in state-sponsored terrorism and human rights abuses, Panjaki has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him under Executive Order 13553, which targets individuals involved in the Iranian regime’s human rights violations and international terrorism. These measures freeze any of his assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit transactions with U.S. persons.
Panaki is currently listed on the FBI’s terrorism watch list, underscoring the seriousness with which U.S. law enforcement treats his activities.
A Key Player in the Iranian Regime’s Global Repression Strategy
Seyed Yahya Hosseini Panjaki’s case sheds light on the Iranian regime’s far-reaching efforts to eliminate opposition voices abroad through espionage, assassination, and terrorism. His position within the MOIS and links to the IRGC reveal the extent to which the regime’s intelligence apparatus operates across borders to silence dissent.
As the FBI continues its investigation, Panjaki remains a symbol of the Iranian regime’s systematic use of violence and intimidation to suppress opposition—both at home and on the global stage.