Iran Plot - A "Dangerous Escalation"

The US's accusation that Iran is allegedly planning to assassinate Saudi's ambassador to the US in Washington DC is starting to unfold.

Last night, it was announced that the US has unearthed a plot by Iranians to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, Adel Al-Jubeir. Two men who are allegedly connected to the case (one of whom is a member of the Quds force, an Iranian special foreign actions unit) were charged in a federal court in New York for conspiring both the assassination and bombing of Israli and Saudi embassies. One of the men, Arbabsiar (left), is an Iranian-American living in Texas. He had traveled to Mexico recently, where he hired a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate Al-Jubeir at the ambassador's favorite DC restaurant. The US has also placed sanctions on five more men who are thought to be overseeing the conduction of the alleged plot.

Top officials condemned Iran and threatens to increase efforts in further isolating the nation (with more trade sanctions and what not). WH press secretary Jay Carney said last night that the US will work bilaterally with other nations and the UN to further our preexisting policy of isolating Iran.

In response to the US sanctions and accusations, the Iran ambassador to the UN, Mohammad Khazaee, said in a letter to the UN SG Ban Ki Moon that the Iran "seeks a world free from terrorism and considers the current US warmongerings and propaganda machine against Iran as a threat not just against itself but to the peace and stability in the Persian Gulf region".

While it's important to ensure the safety the diplomats who are essentially the face and embodiment of the relationship between two nations, we have to consider whether or not we can actually deal with this situation. If we do anything beyond placing more economic sanctions, will we be able to handle it? Do we really want to bite off more than we can chew? Our involvement in the Middle East is already extremely complicated and intense; do we want to augment that?

Further info:

[x] Opinion column on CNN with more Iran-American relations background information

[x] US Attorney General Eric Holder's statement

[x] Details about the assassination & bombing plot