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IRANIAN GOVERNMENT agents plotted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US by hiring experts from Mexican drug cartels, the Obama administration has said.
Two people, including a member of Iran’s special operations unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court today. Justice Department officials say the pair were working with a person they thought was an associate of a Mexican drug cartel to target the Saudi diplomat, Adel Al-Jubeir.
But their contact was an informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency who told US authorities about all their planning.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Associated Press: “The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?”
FBI Director Robert Mueller said many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador with bombs in the US. But Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan, said no explosives were actually placed and no one was in any danger because of the informant’s cooperation with authorities.
Alizreza Miryusefi, the press attache at Iran’s mission to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the accusation was “totally baseless” and that a full statement would be issued shortly.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old US citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, who authorities said was a Quds Force member and is still at large in Iran.
The complaint filed in federal court says Arbabsiar confessed that his cousin, Abdul Reza Shahlai, was a high-ranking member of the Quds Force who told him to hire someone in the narcotics business to target Al-Jubeir and that Shakuri was his cousin’s deputy who helped provide funding for the plot.
Arbabsiar, Shakuri and Shahlai and two others were sanctioned Tuesday by the Treasury Department for their involvement in the alleged plot.
Justice Department officials say Arbabsiar approached the DEA informant in Mexico to ask about his knowledge of explosives for a plot to blow up the Saudi embassy in Washington. But through subsequent conversations in English, secretly recorded for U.S. authorities, Arbabsiar offered $1.5 million for the death of the ambassador, perhaps at a purported favorite restaurant of his despite the possibility of mass casualties.
Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation.
Arbabsiar did not know he was trying to hire a DEA informant to carry out the plot, prosecutors said. Posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, the informant met with Arbabsiar several times in Mexico, authorities said. The price tag was $1.5 million and Arabsiar made a $100,000 down payment wired from an overseas account.
Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors said Arbabsiar has confessed to his participation in the murder plot.
President Barack Obama was first briefed on the plot in June, said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.
“The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others,” Vietor said.
Another crock of shit made in the USA
Great response
Why is there a photo of Roy Keane at the top of this piece?
Shame on you “journal” , I was beginning to think you were a credible and objective news outlet… Anything coming out of the white house at the minute should be treated with scepticism as we all know they are war mongers with their sights firmly set on the middle east and particularly Iran. The story here is layed out as fact and the mere shock headline is enough to spread their properganda preparing the way for yet another was based on lies… Think about it, although the the common concept (well in the west anyway) of the Iranians is of backward savages, however, they are clever enough to realise who they are hiring to “assassinate” their most powerful neighbours ambassador I would think. That might be asking for trouble and as well as disgruntling Americas good friend Saudi Aribia it happens to be on American soil potentialy killing American citizens. Giving them another reason to invade. Do you realise that if America invade another country it will technically be a world war! So how would you feel if it turned out to be lies and you were helping spread propaganda to start a world war. Might seem drastic, but history will tell us in the end, as long as its not a nuclear holocost and we all end up brown bread lol.
So in the lead up to the Presidential election the White House is going to come up with this when the Republicans already use Obama’s inaction over Iran against him? The American public if you look at polling already believes they will have to intervene military in Iran. The Iranian nuclear program and the arming of insurgents in Iraq and Taliban in Afghanistan has already caused the deaths of possibly hundreds of US troops. Why exactly would they need to make something like this up? The Saudi’s already hate the Iranians. The US already has plenty of other reasons to attack Iran. The US public already think they are going to have to act.
Gavin, would you like to offer even a shred of something to substantiate your wild conspiracy theory? Just a little morsel will do because even the feeblest conspiracy theories depend on a splinter or two of credibility to bolster all the fantasy.
@RDX862 well said, you nailed it in one. The fact is that a huge portion of Obama’s “smart foreign policy” was predicated on his witless belief that he could talk the Iranians around. First to poop on his parade were millions of Iranian people who showed that they weren’t interested in talking these maniacs around. And now this which is quite frankly the last thing the Obama administration wants because they’re going to end up with the likes of Elliot Abrahams and Michael Ledeen saying to all and sundry “we tried to tell you that you can’t make foreign policy based on fantasy, but you wouldn’t listen.” This revelation is the LAST thing Obama needs right now.
What’s really scary about this story is the complete lack of trust that general public have in the USA’s interest in Iran. And for that matter the most of middle eastern countries’ lack of trust in USA. Where is this going to end???
Can I hire them and do they do politicians?
Most of the 80m Iranians are wonderful people. Please remember that
Is this the same Cartel the ATF has been dealing drugs and guns with.. If anybody believes this crock from the White House then they really need to slap themselved awake… Time is running out for Private Fed Reserve bank regime… And they are getting more and more desperate as shown by the string of fantasies stories coming out…. 911, Underwear bomber. Ink cartridge bombs. Throw Bin Laden in the sea to name but a few. Now this.. Anybody see the the pattern… Wish the Press would have some balls and do their jobs
Do you deny the ATF are in the drugs and arms business… Havr you been reading the news at all… As for the rest… If you cant handle the first bit then you wont be able to manage the rest.. Rather be an idiot in your eyes than an idiot in the eyes of the banksters that have taken contriol of the US government…
Rubbish it’s all concocted to attack Iran and shift public attention away from real issues !
Iran is a REAL issue and it a real issue this White House has busted a gut trying to pretend doesn’t exist. Even lasts years annual US Security Briefing devoted only a couple of lines to Iran in an effort to sweep the whole issue under the carpet. This US administration has been killing itself in an effort to do what you’re trying to do i.e. pretend Iran isn’t a real issue. Well now it’s out from under the carpet inconvenient and all as that might be. If you really think this US administration has been chomping at the bit to have a go at Iran then you really haven’t been watching this US administration very closely the last few years.
jsllefanu
your motives for pushin iran as the bad guy is that ur a pro-israeli geezer.
id imagine u’d like nothin better than to see the states take out iran
@joseph_mcgee that is noting more dignified that pure ad hominem. Be sure to pop back in and say hi if you eventually locate an actual argument sometime.
ive a much better idea. why don’t u enlighten all as to why u think iran is the REAL issue
The angle of my argument has been to undercut some of the gibberish posted here about the US administration concocting this story because they’re gagging for a fight with Iran. I’ve set out my argument as to why that palpable nonsense if you want to undercut my argument with anything more dignified than JSLeFanu is a “pro Israel geezer” then be my guest. Or in your world does tagging me as a supporter of the Jewish state fly as an argument?
I could be the biggest Israel fan boy in the world but if you disagree with what I’m saying that doesn’t absolve you from proposing a stronger counter argument. If my argument doesn’t stand up then it should be easy for you to undermine it so go ahead. Tagging me as “pro Israel” might cut the mustard in the local student union but no adult should be persuaded that that counts as an argument. What next? “don’t pay attention to him, he’s a jew?” because you’re only one remove away from that type of statement.
So, put up or shut up!
put up or shut up?
no, lefanu i dont think so.
u write the likes of fisk off, then try stick him wit a ‘he’s basically a drunk’ label.
u accuse paul madden of using an arguement which contains “soft racism”.
now u say im one step away from insulting jews?
Mmm….
I’m still waiting for something remotely resembling a take down of my argument. At this late stage my best guess it that you ain’t got anything. Good luck to you.
i make a point never argue with fanatics and fools, as the saying goes
they will drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
but u know, u carry on wit ur delusion that the us is the ‘good guy’
Still got nothing I see. What a shame.
And please stop trolling Joseph. If you have anything by way of knowledge or argument then please do join in. These constant personal attacks on me are tiresome and are dragging this entire comment section completely off topic. Believe it or not Joseph I have no interest in you and have no desire to reciprocate your personal attacks in kind. I would though be delighted if you exhibited either the ability or the inclination (both would be a bonus) to join the discussion though.
Anyone think he looks like Roy Keane havin a go at Viera?
This does sound a bit James Bond Junior.
Read Robert Fisks book on the middle east, The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East, it will open up a lot of new questions but answer a good few of them. He’s been one of the few consistent commentators on the evolution of the political landscape in the middle east. He talks from more fact than most governments do, based on his meetings with several key figures in the countries still attracting international attention today, and also being embedded in the middle east for several years.
Iran used to be quite an open country until… yep you guessed it, America (with the help of the british) got involved, assisted in overthrowing a democratically elected government in the 50s and installed the Shah as head of the country. This brought about a revolution in ’79 against this undemocratically elected head of state and paved the way for the current president and their dislike for America and its allies. You can understand to some degree the level of paranoia and control they wish to have over their citizens so as to prevent any further interference from the west.
likewise Afghanistan – the US armed the Taliban to fight the russians to get them out of the middle east and reduce their control on the oil rich countries. Then those very same people turned on them. It paints a very grim picture of the outcome of years of american interference in the middle east, and that attempts to directly alter the politics there have not worked out favourably in the long term. Yet here we are again, another country, with a history of American involvement, and the US are coming back for a second bite of the cherry. Short memories.
Its no secret that Israel is a target for Iran because of its direct association with the US. By constantly provoking Israel, Iran is looking to eventually draw the US and Israel into a war which I think will stretch the US too thin. The timing of it is to further damage the US economy. As patriotic and war ready as americans want to see themselves, they’ve reached a point where the Fed cannot keep printing more money, the international stock markets have for the first t downgraded their credit rating and the US relations with europe the middle east and asia is back where it was during the bush era – if not worse. They simply cannot afford another war, politically, economically, morally.
We are all aware Israel wants to strike Iran but without the US backing them up that will probably leave themselves very exposed in the aftermath in the middle east. So they’ll just have to build more walls, barricads, nuclear weapons, armaments to further insulate themselves. But clearly the US and Israeli goverments have made their minds up and there’s no talking to them. So let them go ahead, start another war and see how shortsighted and destructive this will be for both countries. You’ll probably have to wipe Iran and its people off the map and even then you wouldnt be guaranteed to not be under constant threat of reprisals for decades to come. You cant watch all of the people all of the time.
“You can understand to some degree the level of paranoia and control they wish to have over their citizens so as to prevent any further interference from the west.”
And with one deft swoop we see revealed the slight of mouth used by comfortable and cosseted westerners to excuse state sanctioned genocide against their own populations.
Also please take note of the soft racism of the whole argument which contends that Persians aren’t really capable of anything more than reacting to the West, no agency of their own is allowed in this narrative and any and all atrocities are explained away as simple reactions to the west. It’s as if we’re talking about bacteria in a petri dish and not human beings capable of rational thought. That’s what comes when you rely too much on Bob “a double single malt please” Fisk for your information.
JSLeFanu, i find it offensive and without substance that you say my whole argument contains soft racism. I try to engage in constructive debate on this and other topics, and at no point have i made racist remarks. If I have, I would sincerely hope that the moderators or those who post here would have removed it and I would at the very least have been cautioned on it. I think its a cheap shot and beneath any form of civilised debate or discussion to try to provoke a response from someone by attacking their character as opposed to their opinion.
As a result of this I have very little regard for your opinion pertaining to my comments or what you perceive to be my character.
@Paul_Madden here’s what I said “Also please take note of the soft racism of the whole argument.”
Note please the complete lack of identity based slur or slander in my post.
You weren’t called a racist anywhere in my post so please address yourself to what I said, not what you, apparently, would rather I had said.
The fact is that the type of argument you’re advancing is a form of soft racism. What type of person you really are is another matter and one which I’m unqualified to make any pronouncements on. Furthermore, like much western leftist dogma, your whole argument is paternalistic and patronizing. It doesn’t allow the Persians (insert fashionable third world cause as appropriate) independent agency, in the classic leftist worldview these types of people are only ever unintelligent barely sentient “reactors” to whatever the west does. Trapped, inchoate and barely intelligent they can only ever react they are denied their humanity. Of course were it any other way western leftists couldn’t so blithely excuse the atrocities of the Iranian regime against their own people as ultimately being the fault of, yup, the West.
Hence the cause of every barbarity and atrocity emanating from such places can be located in the West. These people are absolved of responsibility for their actions by virtue of their lack of ability to pursue their own agendas. Perish the thought that they’d even be capable of a concept as advanced as an independent agenda. It’s neat and it’s tidy and I know the intent behind such arguments isn’t old school hard racism, quite the contrary but in effect it does constitute racism.
i’ll leave you to it LeFanu, you’re clearly a busy man. I no longer feel it worthwhile to engage with you on any future discussion.
sometimes offence isnt the best form of defence.
Indeed Paul, but sometimes the “taking of offense” is the first refuge of those unable to back up their own arguments. Frankly it’s not a choice I allow myself to take, but you go right, ahead far be it from me to stand in your way.
Like spiderman, sex and the city etc??
If they come up with the story that the usa has got intel that iran has W.M.D then we know its building up for them to invade.You cant trust anything coming from the whitehouse.
America will not be able to beat Iran, unless they nuke the country and at that, they would still face reprisals for years to come. Look at the trouble they had taking on the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, when the Shia then revolted the Americans were on the backfoot and facing disaster. That is why they backed of Sadr, they knew they could not beat the Shia, even though their are only 20 million of them. Iran has over 80mn and while the regime might not be popular universally, an attack on them would make them so.
You don’t last 5000 years as a country in that part of the world without having some serious national pride and backbone.
Have they seen the size of Iran? I’d like to see them try and conquer that land mass. If they think Vietnam was bad…..
@Kevin Donohoe you’re quite right, it would be an undertaking of sobering magnitude.
The US has in fact been doing everything in its power to avoid any confrontation with Iran. Consider how the most powerful nation on earth sat on its hands for 444 days while the Iranian held captive the staff of the US embassy in 79. Consider also Obama’s lame response and complete lack of support for the Iranian democracy movement of 79. In Egypt it took only days for him to demand Mubarak, a US ally in case we forget, step down. Meanwhile he stood silently by while the Iranian regime cut its own people down left right and centre.
And yet the usual fantasists are out in force arguing that the US has been gagging for a war with Iran since forever.
oops, I should have said “Iranian democracy movement of 09″
The United states does not need to invade as they have over 200 bases within afghanistan and iraq. Your move Iran "pick up the gun Iran pick up the gun" Iran picks up the gun US shoots them and then says " you all seen them they had a gun" this is just a continuation of the US war machine who need another war to prop the country up. After all continued investment in defence department is needed they only got 700 billion in the last budget. These war mongers need to be stopped they are the same people who are controlling the central banks or at least have vested interest in major arms manufacturers. It’s sounds like a bad joke though really a Iranian a Mexican and a Saudi Arabian walk into a bar turns out the Mexican is from the USA. The fact the US is trying to Stoke this hornets nest in a election year is a side show to the economic horror show that faces people each day.
Oh send in the troops! That’s the smoking gun they need to justify bombing the shit out of Iran and installing their own puppet government.
Gotta love the conspiracy theorists here. Open your eyes man see what’s really going…… Please.
which conspiracy theories?
In such a rush to post my comment I did not finish my sentence, ‘on’ should be at the end.
Enlighten ud with the truth but Please font let it be Foxnews’ version. I dont think O coulf handle that sort of twisted Propaganda… Let me guess. Iran is building a nuclear bomb to use it to guarantee there complete annihilation.. Or they actually did 911.. or they havnt attacked another country in thousands of years… Oh wait that bits true
lefanu,
lets a wee look at what ur on about.
so its the journal now thats “allowing personal attacks and abuse to be flung at me”
1. you say to gavin that his post is in essence “wild conspiracy theory” and “fantasy”
2. then you move on to mata mata saying to him “If you really think this US administration has been chomping at the bit to have a go at Iran then you really haven’t been watching this US administration very closely the last few years”
3. then its “undercut some of the gibberish posted here”
4. on now to have a go at “And with one deft swoop we see revealed the slight of mouth used by comfortable and cosseted westerners to excuse state sanctioned genocide against their own populations”
5. then to me its im one step away from being a “jew hater”, and im to” put up or shut up!” that sound a bit like the statement of a bully. and im also a troll?
6. u accuse paul madden of using an arguement which contains “soft racism”, and by playing that line you basically infer that paul is a soft racist.
7. then its students, followed by robert fisk.
but the coup de grace for me has to be,… its the journal whose doing u a bad turn with u crying ” in my own case contained no name calling or abuse”
do u even re-read any of ur posts before u contradict urself?
frankly im shocked, how can u say things which directly contradict what u actually said?
im happy the journal is doing its job, of editing out certain posts. they have probably saved you some embarrassment.
BTW, to whomever at the Journal is allowing personal attacks and abuse to be flung at me, but then deletes my (abuse free) responses I’d like to point out that I’m taking screenshots of every single one, just for the record.
I certainly have no objections to the likes of Joseph calling me a “fool” and a “fanatic” my modest requirement is only that if you’re going to continue to ignore your own terms of service, and let this stuff stand, then at least allow those on the receiving end of such abuse to respond without silently taking down their replies (which incidentally in my own case contained no name calling or abuse).
Only last week one of your Journalists deleted a comment of mine because I, quite reasonably, called him out on his howler of referring to Pakistan as, get this, “an Arab Nation.” He was though cute enough to go and do a sly edit on his own copy at the same time. Rather tiresome and quite childish to say the least. This might be a blog and normal journalistic standards might not apply but at least try to attempt to apply normal blogging standards.
Joseph, you really don’t appear to know the difference between the meal and the menu. In debate it’s perfectly reasonable to do violence to someone’s argument. For example I do believe that Paul’s argument is riddled with “soft racism” it was. I also allowed that I didn’t think his intent was racist but that none the less the argument was predicated on setting much lower standards of behaviour for, in this case, Persians than for others. That’s soft racism, the same way hip lefty teachers lower expectations of black kids, well meaning though it is, has been demonstrated to retard their development. Set the bar lower, based on race or confession and you will have your expectations proven correct. I choose to judge Persians, and everyone else, by the same standards as I do Americans, Brits or Irish. I don’t have dual tracking in my world.
I’m entitled to tag an argument as being “wild conspiracy.” Especially when such an argument isn’t grounded in fact. Don’t confuse baseless assertion with fact, one can be verified and one is fanciful. I didn’t though call the author names, as you did to me. One is playing the ball one is playing the man.
You objected to my opinions at one point solely on the basis that I’m pro Israel. Again that’s playing the man, not the ball. You were invited to stop attempting to slag me off and join the discussion, you didn’t and all you could offer was to hurl more personal slurs at me. Again, playing the man, not the ball. In fact you still haven’t played the ball.
I never said you were a Jew hater but I did say that tagging me a a supporter of Israel, and objecting to my argument on that basis was, and is, very much an identity based attack on me and not on my argument. I asserted that such “tagging” of people by identity was one remove away from objecting to my opinions because I’m a jew. Formally such an objection differs little from the one you made. Again playing the man not the ball.
I could go on and on but frankly I haven’t the time. What you’re objecting to from me is that I undermine or appear to ridicule people’s arguments and you conflate that with me hurling personal insults at them, there’s a difference Joseph, a world of difference. If people take it personally to see violence done to their comments then they need either better arguments or thicker skins. If I had called them names, which is essentially your one solitary rhetorical weapon, then they’d have grounds for complaint. I didn’t and they don’t.
As for TheJournal I’m calling them out for their selectivity in how they moderate discussion here. I couldn’t in fact care less what you call me, I don’t take offense very easily but TheJournal are pretty big on censorship when it comes to opinions they don’t like. Unlike you I don’t hurl personal insults at people here yet despite this the journal are happy to let the likes of yourself fling personal attacks around like confetti. This is a rather parochial way of behaving. If they want to be a hub for debate then they need to allow it. If instead their ambition is to be nothing more than the faculty blog for UCD then they’re going about it the right way.
Of course you’re happy for the Journal to use their special blog privileges to do for you what you, seemingly, can’t do for yourself. Speaking personally though, if I were you, I’d be embarrassed.
Meal and menu Joseph, stop mixing them up.
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