The United States accuses Iran of plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador
Holder of dual citizenship, naturalized American Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested Sept. 29. The Attorney General Eric Holder: "The plot was conceived, sponsored and directed by Iran and constitutes a flagrant violation of U.S. and international laws ". For Iran it is a "propaganda campaign". Saudi Arabia remains silent.
Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Two Iranian nationals are accused of conspiracy in what American officials say is a plan conceived and directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington. The two accused are Manssor Arbabsiar, 56, as a naturalized U.S. citizen, who holds two passports (photo), and Gholam Shakur, who resides in Iran and is a suspected member of Iran Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guards. Arbabsiar was arrested at J.F. Kennedy on September 29 last. According to the Attorney General Eric Holder confessed his involvement in the plot.
U.S. officials said that May 24, 2011 Arbabsiar made contact with an informant of the U.S. anti-drug agency, who pretended to be part of a Mexican drug cartel. According to information provided by investigators, there were several meetings, in which elements linked to the Iranian government said it would be willing to pay a half million dollars (one million 100 thousand euros) for the assassination of the Saudi Adel al-Jubeir on U.S. soil. The initial target, according to U.S. sources, was the embassy, but later it was decided to commit the crime with explosives into the diplomat's favourite restaurant.
The Attorney General has suggested Iran’s direct involvement: "The report shows that the plot was conceived, sponsored and directed by Iran and constitutes a flagrant violation of U.S. and international laws ". The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States will consult with its allies to send "a very strong message" in relation to the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended" said Clinton.
The official Iranian news agency has called the accusations a "propaganda campaign" staged by the U.S. government. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Fars agency the allegations are "a comedy show fabricated by America." The Saudi media have used Western agencies to report the news without adding any comment.
The news of the plot fits in a context of growing tension between Israel and the United States on the one hand and Iran on the other. On 3 October, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz carried an article by Amos Harel on U.S. Defense Secretary Leo Panetta’s second visit in two weeks, for urgent consultations with his counterpart Barak. "Barak and Prime Minister Netanyahu seem to favour an attack on Iran ... while Panetta's predecessor had voiced his opposition to this move." The columnist suggested that Obama, facing a decline in popularity, "especially with the Jewish community," would remove the veto against an Israeli blitz on Iran, a gesture that "can’t hurt him with security-hawk voters".
U.S. officials said that May 24, 2011 Arbabsiar made contact with an informant of the U.S. anti-drug agency, who pretended to be part of a Mexican drug cartel. According to information provided by investigators, there were several meetings, in which elements linked to the Iranian government said it would be willing to pay a half million dollars (one million 100 thousand euros) for the assassination of the Saudi Adel al-Jubeir on U.S. soil. The initial target, according to U.S. sources, was the embassy, but later it was decided to commit the crime with explosives into the diplomat's favourite restaurant.
The Attorney General has suggested Iran’s direct involvement: "The report shows that the plot was conceived, sponsored and directed by Iran and constitutes a flagrant violation of U.S. and international laws ". The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States will consult with its allies to send "a very strong message" in relation to the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended" said Clinton.
The official Iranian news agency has called the accusations a "propaganda campaign" staged by the U.S. government. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Fars agency the allegations are "a comedy show fabricated by America." The Saudi media have used Western agencies to report the news without adding any comment.
The news of the plot fits in a context of growing tension between Israel and the United States on the one hand and Iran on the other. On 3 October, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz carried an article by Amos Harel on U.S. Defense Secretary Leo Panetta’s second visit in two weeks, for urgent consultations with his counterpart Barak. "Barak and Prime Minister Netanyahu seem to favour an attack on Iran ... while Panetta's predecessor had voiced his opposition to this move." The columnist suggested that Obama, facing a decline in popularity, "especially with the Jewish community," would remove the veto against an Israeli blitz on Iran, a gesture that "can’t hurt him with security-hawk voters".
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