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Iran accused over Washington terror plot

danarhea

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

This is breaking news, and Eric Holder will be holding a news conference shortly. Seems that the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington were about to be bombed.

Article is here.
 
in order to provoke an Israeli/American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities?

I'm curious what the official Iranian reaction to this will be.
 
I'm curious what the official Iranian reaction to this will be.
Deny deny deny.

I'm more curious about what the Saudi reaction to this will be.
 
Deny deny deny.

I'm more curious about what the Saudi reaction to this will be.

Probably too much to hope it'd be, "Thank you, U.S. intelligence. Here's 100 million barrels of free oil!"
 
Coverage on the BBC: BBC News - Iran agents 'planned US terror attacks'
Includes video of Eric Holder at press conference

It is no secret that Iran is upset with Saudi Arabia both for its close relationship with the US and its perceived-as-too-soft posture toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over land and government.
 
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why would Iran risk a US military strike?

it doesn't cost that much to drop a few bunker-busters.
 
Not the first time Iran's elite military wing has gone after "enemy" diplomats on foreign soil. They are also the prime suspects in various embassy bombings worldwide, especially in those involving Israeli embassies.

The guy in custody has supposedly confessed, is a high-ranking member of Qud (Iran's elite revolutionary guards) and can hopefully supply us with some top-notch intel.
 
...The guy in custody has supposedly confessed, is a high-ranking member of Qud (Iran's elite revolutionary guards) and can hopefully supply us with some top-notch intel.

any chance he is just a defector, trying to exaggerate a possible threat in order to get on the good side of the DOD & CIA?
 
Im kinda questionable about this.......

Ill wait for more information before conducting a full opinion.
 
US ties Iran to plot to assassinate Saudi diplomat - Yahoo! News

plot looks real. $1.5 million was promised for the assassination of the embassador, and $100,000 was paid upfront.

though this may not have been ordered by Ahmedinajad, the Supreme Council, or even the Iranian intelligence or military.

Who in Iran can bankroll 100k and promise 1.5 million that isn't involved in any of those agencies? I'm guessing it's a short list if it one exists at all.
 
Not the first time Iran's elite military wing has gone after "enemy" diplomats on foreign soil. They are also the prime suspects in various embassy bombings worldwide, especially in those involving Israeli embassies.

The guy in custody has supposedly confessed, is a high-ranking member of Qud (Iran's elite revolutionary guards) and can hopefully supply us with some top-notch intel.

Surprisingly quick confession from an elite revolutionary guard.
 
I hate this stage of any investigation. Accusations and misinformation fly around fast and loose and nobody really cares to verify any of the facts. I'll wait until we get concrete information on exactly who provided the funding and what their relationship was to the Iranian government.

I am pissed that the media is calling this a "terror plot". It was a targeted assassination of a specific individual. Its especially ****ing ridiculous coming mere days after the assassination of Al-Awlaki. The attack was about the geo-political conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, not a terrorist attack on U.S. citizens.
 
I hate this stage of any investigation. Accusations and misinformation fly around fast and loose and nobody really cares to verify any of the facts. I'll wait until we get concrete information on exactly who provided the funding and what their relationship was to the Iranian government.

I am pissed that the media is calling this a "terror plot". It was a targeted assassination of a specific individual. Its especially ****ing ridiculous coming mere days after the assassination of Al-Awlaki. The attack was about the geo-political conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, not a terrorist attack on U.S. citizens.

Since the assassination was going to be via bombing, that makes it a terror plot, since innocents most likely would have also been blown up.
 
I hate this stage of any investigation. Accusations and misinformation fly around fast and loose and nobody really cares to verify any of the facts. I'll wait until we get concrete information on exactly who provided the funding and what their relationship was to the Iranian government.

I am pissed that the media is calling this a "terror plot". It was a targeted assassination of a specific individual. Its especially ****ing ridiculous coming mere days after the assassination of Al-Awlaki. The attack was about the geo-political conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, not a terrorist attack on U.S. citizens.

You're pissed 'cause the media called it a terror plot? If they were planning on blowing up the guy with a nuke, would you still say it was targetting a specific individual?

@ Ben K -- That guy is at large, back in Iran. The guy they have under arrest is a U.S. citizen.
 
Since the assassination was going to be via bombing, that makes it a terror plot, since innocents most likely would have also been blown up.

You are right as is Rathi. Many media outlets who have been reporting this have not stated that Arbabsiar was probably going to target a restaurant where innocent people could die. Instead, they were strictly focusing on the assissnation attempt of the Saudi ambassador and linking it to terrorism. So, I can see how Rathi is perceiving this in the way he is via incomplete reporting.
 
why would Iran risk a US military strike?

it doesn't cost that much to drop a few bunker-busters.
Helps their message that the big bad empire of America is out to oppress them and take all their resources and stop them from developing new forms of energy.
 
Not to get too cocky about this or anything but this was a really good catch --- buggers hopefully will give some decent information to our interrogators.
 
I find it interesting that Iran dislikes the USA's relationship with Saudi Arabia, and then plans to kill a Saudi official in the USA. The killing would've been a convenient wedge between the two nations had it worked.
 
energy independence should be among our top priorities.
 
What does "linked to Iran" actually constitute in this context?

Is there evidence that this was a state run operation?
Does the guy have a house in Iran?
Has he posted about Iran online?
GWB is "linked to" ObL.

What does "linked to Iran" actually constitute in this context?

does anyone know yet?
 
What does "linked to Iran" actually constitute in this context?

Is there evidence that this was a state run operation?
Does the guy have a house in Iran?
Has he posted about Iran online?
GWB is "linked to" ObL.

What does "linked to Iran" actually constitute in this context?

does anyone know yet?

1) The Feds intercepted a conversation between the man who escaped, and a member of the Quds force in Iran, which is tied directly to the Mullahs. The code word was "Chevrolet". The Quds man asks "Is the Chevrolet ready"? To which the man inside the US said yes. The bombing was to happen this week.

2) The 2 down payments were traced directly to the government of Iran.

3) The man who escaped is now back in Iran.
 
Since the assassination was going to be via bombing, that makes it a terror plot, since innocents most likely would have also been blown up.

That is an unreasonable standard. When a drug gang does a drive by and hits the wrong house, does that make it a "terrorist" action? How about the collateral damage from U.S. sanctioned assassinations? There is a clear difference between a callous disregard for incidental destruction and a deliberate act of terror. Its especially relevant in this case, as its unclear whose idea it was the blow up the restaurant.

edit: reading the official documents listing the charges, Arbabsiar said he didn't want extra casualties, but he would understand if their was no other choice.
 
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