US foils "Iranian terror plot"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15266992

The US says it has broken up a major terror plot in which agents linked to Iran sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Two men originally from Iran - one a naturalised US citizen - have been charged with counts of conspiracy, Attorney General Eric Holder said.

The plot was "conceived" in Iran by the Quds force, part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, he added.

The state department has listed Iran as a "state sponsor" of terror since 1984.

The two men allegedly linked to the plot were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force.

Mr Arbabsiar was arrested in September, Mr Holder said, but Mr Shakuri remains in Iran.

They have been charged with a series of conspiracy charges over alleged plans to kill the Saudi ambassador.

Mr Arbabsiar, who is due to appear in court in New York on Tuesday, faces a potential life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.

And let us pray that come it may (As come it will for a' that)

ABC is reporting that the plot included bombing the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington as well as in Buenos Aires.

edited 11th Oct '11 11:38:42 AM by Pentadragon

Terrorism? This is just straight up espionage.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Unfortunately with things like this, we don't get to know the truth until 50 years later.

Maybe they just saved hundreds of lives, maybe they just ruined only 2. Is there any way to know?

Go play Kentucky Route Zero. Now.

Iran decided to try and play James Bond with a superpower and fucked it up. This is easily the least surprising thing I've heard today.

I am now known as Flyboy.

Woulda been a hella coup of they pulled it off though. Woulda tanked relations with the Saudis.

I expect an Iranian Ambassador somewhere in the world to die very soon now, as retaliation, even if the plot was unsuccessful.

Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...

And then Iran and Saudi Arabia go into a bitchfight over Bahrain.

If any question why we died/ Tell them, because our fathers lied -Rudyard Kipling

What do you think the U.S. will do now? (I expect the response to be diplomatic rather than military, but I'm not sure what options are available—can the U.S. call on other U.N. members to embargo Iran or otherwise make things difficult for it?)

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

Under normal circumstances the US could declare the Iranian ambassadorial delegation personas non grata. Alas, they don't HAVE an ambassadorial delegation to do that with.

All persons implicated can be imprisoned for attempted murder and treated essentially as spies (even if it wasn't spying they were doing preciesly) and used as bargaining chips...assuming Tehran vouches for them.

Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...

Lol,

They said it was frangant disregrad for international law

Oh the bloody irony

Dutch Lesbian

The American public stopped understanding the meaning of the word terrorism when Bush decided it was something that you could fight against, and pushed on with that idea.

Now, if something bad happens, or if someone is planning on doing something bad to someone else, it's terrorism. Our definition of it has become pretty wide.

Espionage, agreed; although I can understand how it could look like a terror plot to the unwashed masses.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.

Eh, I dunno. The killing of a fairly well protected individual (a diplomat) in the US would probably terrorize those who are paranoid of American politicians meeting the same fate. That Arizona shooting some months ago was certainly one that had its fair share of panic.

That said, the incident probably should be called what it is rather than try to fit it in either terrorism or espionage. It was an assassination attempt. Simple.

edited 11th Oct '11 3:32:04 PM by FFShinra

Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...

Wouldn't the Saudis be more pissed than anyone?

I can't help but imagine that those two countries will come to blows in my lifetime. And it's gonna suck hard.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

@whale: Actually the targeting of diplomats (a long-standing Iranian favorite) is a major violation of both regular international law and the laws of war.

Even if Iran and the US were actually at war, such a move would be a war crime.

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

I believe the Vienna Convention blocks such attacks but I can't help but wonder if this plot ever actually existed. I mean, I know people like to go "Iran evil, hurr hurr", but what exactly are they supposed to have gained from this assassination mission? They can go to war with Saudi Arabia as the bad guys? Makes zero sense.

If they had succeeded and Iranian involvement could not be proven, that would shatter US/Saudi relations, which is a major policy goal for Iran.

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

^ The Saudis aren't that stupid.

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."

^^ I thought this as well. Divide and conquor.

^ well, someone's gotta hold the Idiot Ball...

edited 11th Oct '11 4:39:00 PM by pvtnum11

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.

You sure about that? They keep financing salafist/wahhabi preaching worldwide... That fuels the very same kind of Islamists that commit terrorist attacks on Saudi soil.

The Saudis are quite stupid.

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

That's more of a batman gambit. Those groups hate the US far more than they do the monarchy , so they hope to focus dissent into anti-Americanism rather than themselves.

I also have to say, I don't see why relations between US and Saudi Arabia would collapse. A diplomat is assassinated and the first thought would be "IT MUST BE THE USA!"? I don't think so. I'm quite sure the first thought would be "which branch of al qaeda did this?". Plus with the way spy games work, the US can put out false information on who did it on basically anybody in the world and nobody can verify it because it is classified information.

edited 11th Oct '11 4:41:49 PM by breadloaf

^^ They aren't stupid enough to put the US as prime suspect in a diplomat assassination. Especially since we would do to Saudi Arabia in a resulting military confrontation what we did to Saddam's Iraq in 1991 and 2003.

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."

Saudi's got way better gear, so no, not really...

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.

The US could win, it'd just be more losses and require the deployment of most of the US forces. Though, actually, I'm not sure on the logistics. Where do you have bases to land troops once you've lost Saudi Arabia? The UAE, Bahrain, Yemen... would they continue to support the US? That would be bad for them to get involved in such a conflict.