Claims Iran was plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador on US soil are extraordinary. Would Iran’s leadership really have OK’d such a plot?
On Tuesday, the US Justice Department accused ‘agents of the Iranian government of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, with help from a purported member of a Mexican drug cartel.’
This warning came as ABC News, citing an unnamed official, reported that the plot also included ‘plans to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington, as well as those belonging to Saudi Arabia and Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.’
The success of the US case against Iran will clearly depend on the quality of the evidence that the US government has at its disposal. Certainly, if this evidence is found wonting, and the case against the two suspects being held — an Iranian American and an Iranian Quds Force officer — is thrown out, it would be a major blow to the credibility of US law enforcement agencies as well as the US government.
Looking ahead, what if the US government should be able to prove its case, including allegations of a plan to hit the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires? This would undoubtedly show the Iranian leadership's continued commitment to a tried and tested strategy. After all, Iran has been accused of being behind the 1992 suicide attack against Israel's embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people and injured 242. Meanwhile, Interpol has issued arrest warrants against Iranian officials over their alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing, which took place in Buenos Aires in 1994.
But concrete evidence that Iran was planning to strike in Washington as claimed would mark the opening of a whole new chapter in Iran’s dealings with the United States and Saudi Arabia.
For a start, it could mean that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ultimate authority for permitting attacks of this nature, is willing to go further than simply hurting US and Saudi interests through proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. This would set a new precedent, as Iran previously shied from launching operations against US and Saudi interests on their own soil.
Yet there’s another, somewhat intriguing possibility. Could elements within the Iranian government or security establishment have planned this attack, without Khamenei's knowledge in order to hurt him and his regime? On the surface, at least, this seems unlikely. However, details of the US claims certainly suggest that the idea isn’t completely without merit. Why? Because according to the Justice Department, Arabisar, who the US government has accused of being connected to the Iranian government, is supposed to have wired $100,000 to the US undercover agent whom he thought would carry out the hit against the Saudi Ambassador.
But this would be extremely sloppy and unprofessional work by a government that has, over the years, become adept at hiding its tracks. Why would Khamenei make himself and his regime so vulnerable by wiring money directly? Why wouldn't Iranian security officials use third parties operating through third countries?
Photo Credit: Wikicommons / Sarbaze Jebhe
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Iqbal
Before commencing any war the US & it’s allies spread propoganda war whether it’s the Iraq war aimed to control gulf oil, Afghanistan and so on, while the naked truth is to take control of oil and to run it’s war factories. And now the focus is on Iran. God knows what the next turn could be? Would it be China or Japan? It would be the one which suits the needs of American election issues.
Captian America
Yes we have given Iran 15 years to come clean about there nuclear program and their time is up. The time for short talk and half measures has come to an end and The United States will take the stance it has always taken with Israel and the hand an glove “Full Support”. SO if Iran wishes to continue to Lie and insult the West and threaten Israel then Iran chooses the fate of Iraq and Libya and Nazi Germany and that is annihilation. He will be removed by force
Jason
It is obvious to anyone with a modicum of knowledge on middle east politics that this was not a qods attack – they are not that clumsy, and it serves no interest.
But for the american public, the allegation is believable and will be used to build up the case against the new public enemy no. 1, now that alqaeda and taliban are on the wane.
David
>> Certainly, if this evidence is found wonting
“Wonting”? Try “wanting.”
Paul
The use of the word “wonting” is correct.
MAY
I noticed that most American journalists and tweeps (Alphaleah ) & co. Are trying hard to analyze the Iranian plot against the Saudi Embassadore and hinting that it might be orchestrated from USA intelligence. I wonder , why these journalists are defending Iran and finding excecuses ? How come they are trying to rational what happened? Why only with Iran? STRANGE. Why they rush and adopt all lies said about Monarchies and monarchs without proofs , why repeating what Iranian Hezballouh agents in The Gulf states are saying without checking with the moderates in these states. Can I believe or even think that these journalist or PR agencies are paid by Iran ? Or they are really misled ?
carl
If this was legit it is indicative that Quds needs to improve its hiring standards. This is a keystone cops account that doesn’t make any sense in terms of Irans history or al-Quds. Fisrt off Quds has no history of hiring unnamed and unvetted criminals to carry out political assassinations. They historically have used their own people or parties under their control (e.g., who have gone throught the training camp system). Second it makes no sense whatever to risk a very valuable asset (e.g., an Iranian with a U.S. passport – even if he was a fool) to go trapsing into Mexico looking for a hitman. It has all the sophistication of the housewife who hires a hitman to kill hubby and the hitman is invariably a cop. If this was real, and Quds changed their spots and were using Zepa’s for something this sensitive, they logically would have vetted the guy first and sent him up to meet the Iranian with the U.S. Passport, not risk that guy on this sort of sillyness. I don’t know what was going on but the public version of this does not make any sense at all.
Mary
A reply to Carl : maybe they sent many agents to many places at the same time , they lost track.:) Their agents are working in Saudi AlQatif, in Bahrain , in Iraq, in wall street , in London, in Syria, in Cairo in Kuwait, etc. etc. Besides oppressing their own people. Surely, they lost track.
Cyrus
Mary; sorry to disappoint you, but these days you don’t need to send agents all over the world, a little co-operation among countries mean that you could buy info and favor without sending your own agents all over the globe. And while we are at this topic, with all those videos of movies like mission impossible and etc. why would a government try to bomb a restaurant when they can use a quieter method ??
esculap
@mary…i don’t think they have short term memmory loss to sent agents all over and forget whom they sent where. they really aren’t that stupid.
Leonard R.
@Meir Javedanfar
“Was Khameini Reckless – or Set-up?”
_________
Set-up.
This appears to have been a really stupid plan.