Iran faces US fury over plot to murder diplomat

AS THE alleged fixer in an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to Washington contemplates his position from a prison cell, the White House is weighing its next move against Tehran.

Manssor Arbabsiar made a brief appearance before a New York magistrate late on Tuesday. His attorney has said he intends to plead not guilty to charges including conspiracy to murder a foreign diplomat.

Meanwhile, Washington was looking to enlist international support to take further action against Iran.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, seen as the unofficial voice of the Saudi royal family, said: “Somebody in Iran will have to pay the price [for the plot].”

Details of the alleged scheme to kill Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudia Arabian ambassador to the US since 2007, “reads like the pages of a Hollywood script,” FBI director Robert Mueller commented as he and US attorney general Eric Holder gave a press conference. They alleged that Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old Iranian-born US citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, a member of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, attempted to hire members of a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the hit.

Money for the mission came directly from Tehran, it is claimed. Up to $1.5 million (£950,000) had been set aside for the kill, and a down payment of $100,000 already wired to an account in New York, it is alleged. But while the co-conspirators continued to plan the attack, a paid informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Mexico fed the information back to his handlers. The agent, named only as CS-1, was central to the sting to snare the Iranian.

During a series of meetings the informant allegedly discussed how the assassination could be carried out.

CS-1 told Arbabsiar the hit could take place at a fictional restaurant in Washington. The idea of a car bomb was discussed, with Arbabsiar apparently unconcerned about possible mass casualties, it is claimed.

Both Arbabsiar and Shakuri are charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to engage in foreign travel to commission a murder, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism.

Arbabsiar’s lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, has indicated he will plead not guilty. He is due to appear for a preliminary hearing on 25 October.

Shakuri is thought to be in Iran.

In Washington yesterday, US officials said it was “more than likely” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and the head of the Quds force knew of the alleged plot. They offered no evidence for this.

The officials also said it was possible president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, did not know – illustrating a supposed split in Iran’s leadership.

In an initial retaliatory move, the US Treasury announced yesterday that it had imposed restrictions on an Iranian commercial airline.

The department accused Mahan Air of secretly ferrying operatives and weapons on behalf of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

US firms will now be banned from doing business with the airline, whose assets in the US will be frozen.

The White House is likely to use the plot to intensify calls for further sanctions against Tehran.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said efforts were under way to “enlist more countries in working together against what is becoming a clearer and clearer threat [from Iran]”.

American embassies around the world were also instructed yesterday to present the case against Iran to host nations.

The assassination plot could also make it harder for the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear intentions to be settled through diplomacy.

Western powers may be less inclined to believe Tehran’s claim that it is seeking nuclear power for peaceful means following what president Barack Obama described as the latest “flagrant” disregard of international laws.

Tehran’s nuclear progress has been hit by the recent killing of a number of scientists involved in the programme. Suspicion has fallen on the Israeli secret service agency, Mossad, as being involved in their deaths.

Plans to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington were also allegedly discussed by Arbabsiar and his contacts at the Mexican drug cartel.

For its part, Iran has hit back at the claims, with parliament speaker Ali Larijani describing them as part of a “childish game” conducted by the US to distract from domestic concerns.

“These are cheap claims. By giving it a wide media coverage, it was evident that they are trying to cover up their own problems,” Mr Larijani said.