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{{Short description|Failed assassination attempt in the U.S.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox event
| title = 2011 Iran assassination plot
| image = Adel Al jubeer (crop).jpg
| partof = [[Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict]] and [[Iran–Israel proxy conflict]]
| caption = Ambassador [[Adel al-Jubeir]]
| date = {{start date|df=yes|2011|09|29}} (arrests) <br/> {{start date|df=yes|2011|10|11}} (announcement)
| venue = A local restaurant, the [[Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.|Embassy of Israel]] and the [[Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.|Embassy of Saudi Arabia]]
| location = [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States]]
| also_known_as = Iran assassination plot or the "Iran terror plot" (media) <br/> Operation Red Coalition ([[FBI]])
| type = [[Terrorism]]
| theme = 
| cause = [[Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict]]
| suspects = Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri (at large)
| convicted = 30 May 2013
| charges = To participate in a plot allegedly directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives
| verdict = Guilty
| sentence = 25 years imprisonment (Manssor Arbabsiar)
}}
{{Campaignbox Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict}}
On 11 October 2011, United States officials alleged there was a plot tied to the [[Iranian government]] to assassinate [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] ambassador [[Adel al-Jubeir]] in the [[United States]]. The plot was referred to as the "'''Iran assassination plot'''" or the "'''Iran terror plot'''" in the media, while the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] named the case "'''Operation Red Coalition'''".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8823517/Iran-terror-plot-agent-may-have-already-fled-to-Iran.html |title=Iran terror plot: agent may have already fled to Iran |first=Damien |last=McElroy |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=13 October 2011 |location=London |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006 |access-date=23 November 2011 |archive-date=13 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213154249/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8823517/Iran-terror-plot-agent-may-have-already-fled-to-Iran.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933#.Ts1UDVa0PC4 |title=U.S. Says Iran-Tied Terror Plot in Washington, D.C. Disrupted |publisher=ABC News |first=Richard |last=Esposito |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=23 November 2011 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404022013/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933#.Ts1UDVa0PC4 |url-status=live }}</ref> Iranian nationals Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri were charged on 11 October 2011 in [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|federal court]] in New York with plotting to assassinate Al-Jubeir.<ref>{{cite news|title=Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Man Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court To Conspiring With Iranian Military Officials To Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/October12/arbabsiar.php|publisher=[[United States Department of Justice|DOJ]] – [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]|date=17 October 2012|access-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408225049/http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/October12/arbabsiar.php|archive-date=8 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cbs>{{cite news|title=Mideast rivalries a backdrop for Iran plot claims|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/ap/middleeast/main20119393.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013035042/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/ap/middleeast/main20119393.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2011|access-date=13 October 2011|newspaper=CBS News|date=12 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Iranians charged in U.S. over assassination plot |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Oct-11/151033-iranians-charged-in-us-over-assassination-plot.ashx#axzz1aV42Y4eq |newspaper=[[Daily Star (Lebanon)|Daily Star]] |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722125954/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Oct-11/151033-iranians-charged-in-us-over-assassination-plot.ashx#axzz1aV42Y4eq |url-status=live }}</ref> According to U.S. officials, the two planned to kill Al-Jubeir at a restaurant with a bomb and subsequently bomb the [[Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.|Saudi embassy]] and the [[Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.|Israeli embassy]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iran 'Directed' Washington, D.C., Terror Plot, U.S. Says |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933 |newspaper=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404022013/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-10-16/iran-assassination-plot-denials/50792944/1?csp=34news Iran's Khamenei warns U.S. over assassination claims] ''USA Today''. Accessed: 16 October 2011.</ref> Bombings in [[Buenos Aires]] were also discussed. Arbabsiar was arrested on 29 September 2011 at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in New York while Shakuri remained [[fugitive|at large]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Arbabsiar Held Without Bail in Alleged Plot to Kill Envoy |first1=Patricia |last1=Hurtado |first2=Bob |last2=Van Voris |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-11/arbabsiar-held-without-bail-in-alleged-plot-to-kill-envoy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013164700/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-11/arbabsiar-held-without-bail-in-alleged-plot-to-kill-envoy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2011 |newspaper=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011}}</ref> On 24 October 2011, Arbabsiar pleaded not guilty.<ref name="NYTplea">[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/nyregion/in-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador-to-us-suspect-pleads-not-guilty.html Not-Guilty Plea in Plot to Kill Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301184947/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/nyregion/in-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador-to-us-suspect-pleads-not-guilty.html |date=1 March 2017 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]''. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.</ref> In May 2013, after pleading guilty, Arbabsiar was sentenced to 25-years imprisonment.<ref name=May2013CNN />

It is debated whether the Iranian government condoned or facilitated the plot; some experts suggested that the planners may be rogue elements within the Iranian secret service.<ref name="NYT">[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?pagewanted=all U.S. Challenged to Explain Accusations of Iran Plot in the Face of Skepticism.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226051837/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?pagewanted=all |date=26 February 2017 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]''. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.</ref><section end=Lead />

==Assassination plot==
===Charges announced===
On 11 October 2011, the [[United States Attorney General|U.S. Attorney General]] and the [[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|Director of the FBI]] announced two individuals have been charged in federal court for their participation in a plot allegedly directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.<ref name="Hafezi">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-newspro-idUSTRE79B4YA20111012|title=U.S. says Iran sought killing of Saudi envoy|last=Hafezi|first=Parisa|author2=Jeremy Pelofsky|work=Reuters|access-date=13 October 2011|date=12 October 2011|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310003311/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-newspro-idUSTRE79B4YA20111012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Justice News">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/October/11-ag-1339.html |title=Two Men Charged in Alleged Plot to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States |date=11 October 2011 |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=4 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904194210/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/October/11-ag-1339.html |url-status=live }}</ref> "The criminal complaint unsealed today exposes a deadly plot directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign Ambassador on U.S. soil with explosives," said Attorney General [[Eric Holder]].<ref name="Justice News" /> "Though it reads like the pages of a Hollywood script, the impact would have been very real and many lives would have been lost," FBI Director [[Robert Mueller]] said.<ref name="Hafezi" /> The criminal complaint charged Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old [[United States nationality law|naturalized U.S. citizen]] holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, a commander in Iran's [[Quds Force]], the special-operations unit of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]].<ref name="Justice News"/><ref name=Levitt>{{cite web|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Tehran's Unlikely Assassins|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/tehrans-unlikely-assassins|work=20 August 2012|publisher=The Washington Institute|access-date=17 February 2013|archive-date=24 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224075603/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/tehrans-unlikely-assassins|url-status=live}}</ref>

The U.S. Government alleged that the Quds Force "conducts sensitive covert operations abroad, including terrorist attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to sponsor attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq."<ref name="Justice News" /> In October 2007, the [[U.S. Treasury Department]] had designated the Quds Force as providing material support to the [[Taliban]] and other terrorist organizations.<ref name="Justice News" /> The defendants were charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries.<ref name="Justice News" />

===Plot===
The details of the plot were established in later court proceedings. According to these events, Arbabsiar met with Shakuri from the spring of 2011 to October 2011 to plot the murder of the Saudi Ambassador, and met with a [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) source in [[Mexico]] who posed as an associate of an international [[Drug cartel|drug trafficking cartel]]. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire the source to murder the Ambassador using explosives, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan.<ref name="Justice News" /> With Shakuri's approval, Arbabsiar caused $100,000 to be wired into a bank account in the United States as a down payment for the killing. In June and July 2011, the complaint stated, Arbabsiar returned to Mexico and held additional meetings with the DEA source, where Arbabsiar explained that his associates in Iran had discussed a number of further missions they wanted the source and his associates to perform, including the murder of the Ambassador.<ref name="Justice News" />

During a 14 July 2011 meeting in Mexico, the source and Arbabsiar agreed that four men would be used to orchestrate the Ambassador's killing and that the total price would be $1.5 million for the murder.<ref name="Justice News" /> Arbabsiar also assured the source that $100,000 would be forthcoming from Iran as a further payment towards the assassination and discussed the manner in which that payment would be made. During the meeting, Arbabsiar described having a cousin in Iran who was a "big general" in the military, and had requested that Arbabsiar find someone to carry out the Ambassador's assassination.<ref name="Justice News" /> In a 17 July 2011 meeting in Mexico, the source told Arbabsiar that one of his workers had traveled to Washington, D.C. and had observed the Ambassador.<ref name="Justice News" /> They discussed bombing a restaurant in the United States that the Ambassador frequented. The source told Arbabsiar there might be innocent civilian casualties, to which Arbabsiar replied "They want that guy done, if a hundred go with him, f**k 'em", and that such concerns were "no big deal".<ref name="Justice News" /> On 1 August 2011 and 9 August 2011, with Shakuri's approval, Arbabsiar caused two overseas wire transfers totaling approximately $100,000 to be sent as a down payment for carrying out the assassination.<ref name="Justice News" />

===Arrest and confession===
On 20 September 2011, the source told Arbabsiar that the operation was ready and requested that Arbabsiar either pay one half of the agreed upon price of $1.5 million or that Arbabsiar personally travel to Mexico as collateral for the final payment. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar agreed to travel to Mexico, and did so on 28 September 2011.<ref name="ABC News">{{cite news |title=Iran 'Directed' Washington, D.C., Terror Plot, U.S. Says |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933&page=2 |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=16 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316211904/http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933&page=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was refused entry by Mexican authorities and flown to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in New York where he was promptly arrested by U.S. federal agents and subsequently confessed to the plot.<ref name="Justice News" /> According to the complaint, Arbabsiar told agents that he was "recruited, funded and directed by men he understood to be senior officials in Iran's Quds Force," including his cousin who he had "long understood to be a senior member of the Quds Force." Arbabsiar claimed he had met several times in Iran with Shakuri and another senior Quds Force official where they discussed blowing up a restaurant in the United States frequented by the Ambassador and that numerous bystanders could be killed.<ref name="Justice News" />

In early October 2011, according to the complaint, Arbabsiar made phone calls at the direction of law enforcement agents to Shakuri in Iran that were secretly monitored. During these phone calls, Shakuri confirmed that Arbabsiar should move forward with the plot to murder the Ambassador and that he should accomplish the task as quickly as possible, stating on 5 October 2011, "just do it quickly, it's late..."<ref name="Justice News"/><ref name=CNNTimeline>{{cite news|title=Timeline: Alleged plot to kill Saudi ambassador|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/11/timeline-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102110544/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/11/timeline-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 January 2013|publisher=CNN|access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref> Investigations by the FBI disclosed that money had been wired from a Quds Force bank account, and that Arbabsiar correctly identified a known Quds Force officer from a photo array shown to him in custody.<ref name="NYT20111011">{{cite news |title=U.S. Accuses Iranians of Plotting to Kill Saudi Envoy |first1=Charlie |last1=Savage |first2=Scott |last2=Shane |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/us/us-accuses-iranians-of-plotting-to-kill-saudi-envoy.html?_r=1 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=15 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012716/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/us/us-accuses-iranians-of-plotting-to-kill-saudi-envoy.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Conviction====
On 24 October 2011, Arbabsiar at first pleaded not guilty,<ref name="NYTplea" /> but later changed his plea to guilty.<ref name=May2013CNN>{{cite web|title=Suspect in Saudi ambassador assassination plot pleads guilty|date=17 October 2012|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/17/justice/new-york-saudi-assassination-plot/index.html|publisher=CNN|access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> On 30 May 2013, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iranian-American gets 25 years in plot to kill Saudi ambassador|date=30 May 2013|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/justice/new-york-saudi-assassination-plot/index.html|publisher=CNN|access-date=30 May 2013|archive-date=31 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531024309/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/justice/new-york-saudi-assassination-plot/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Manssor Arbabsiar, register number {{not a typo|65807-054}}, is now currently serving his sentence at [[Marion USP]] with a projected release date of 28 July 2033.<ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/Locate/ Inmate Locator] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128013725/http://www.bop.gov/Locate/ |date=28 January 2014 }}." [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved on 31 March 2017.</ref>

===Alleged responsibility===
[[File:Saudi-plot-04.jpg|thumb|US Attorney General Eric Holder announces the charges]]
U.S. officials said that it was "more than likely" that Iran's [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]], [[Ayatollah]] [[Ali Khamenei]] and the head of the Quds Force, Major General [[Qasem Soleimani]], knew of the plot, but acknowledged this was based on analysis rather than hard evidence.<ref name="reuters">{{cite news |title=U.S. officials: Iran's supreme leader likely knew of plot |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-officials-idUSTRE79B50N20111012 |work=Reuters |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=5 October 2011 |first=Mark |last=Hosenball |archive-date=12 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312160433/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-officials-idUSTRE79B50N20111012 |url-status=live }}</ref> They speculated it was inconceivable that in Iran's hierarchy Khamenei or Suleimani would not be aware of such an action, stating "it would be our assessment that this kind of operation would have been discussed at the highest levels of the regime."<ref name="skepticism">{{cite news |title=U.S. Challenged to Explain Accusations of Iran Plot in the Face of Skepticism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 October 2011 |access-date=13 October 2011 |first1=Eric |last1=Schmitt |first2=Scott |last2=Shane |archive-date=13 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013191703/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> The officials acknowledged that the plot was far "outside the pattern" of the Quds Force past activity.<ref name="reuters" />

Other commentators speculated that the men may have been acting as rogue elements in the Iranian government rather than the actual government itself. A senior U.S. law enforcement official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity stated, "It's so outside their normal track of activity. It's a rogue plan or they're using very different tactics. We just don't know."<ref name="NYT20111011" /> The government of Iran vehemently denied the accusations<ref name=deny/> and Iran's United Nations representative called the confession "suspicious claims by an individual," and said his claims were fabricated.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. official: 'Multiple' sources strengthen case against Iran|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/13/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/|publisher=[[CNN News]]|date=13 October 2011|access-date=14 October 2011|archive-date=13 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013175541/http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/13/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/|url-status=live}}</ref> While the U.S. Department of Justice said Shakuri was still at large, Iran claimed Shakuri belonged to an Iranian exile opposition group aiming to overthrow the Iranian Government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/us-plot-suspect-belongs-exile-group-says-iran-132121800.html|title=US plot suspect belongs to exile group: Iran|access-date=14 January 2017|archive-date=7 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107234005/http://news.yahoo.com/us-plot-suspect-belongs-exile-group-says-iran-132121800.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Skepticism==
At the same time, a number of prominent Iran experts have questioned the Iranian government's link to the plot.<ref name="skepticism"/><ref name="csm">{{cite news |title=Used-car salesman as Iran proxy? Why the assassination plot doesn't add up for experts |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1012/Used-car-salesman-as-Iran-proxy-Why-assassination-plot-doesn-t-add-up-for-experts |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=13 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013090607/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1012/Used-car-salesman-as-Iran-proxy-Why-assassination-plot-doesn-t-add-up-for-experts |url-status=live }}</ref> Suzanne Maloney, senior fellow at The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the [[Brookings Institution]], said much of what was known of the plot did "not fit the usual patterns of Iran's involvement with terrorist activities. It seems quite credible to me that it could be rogue elements, but I don't know to what degree the [[Iranian military]] tolerates such dissent."<ref>[http://sundaytimes.lk/analysis/11967-iranian-rogue-elements-led-saudi-plot-analysts.html "Iranian 'rogue elements' led Saudi plot: Analysts"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014091552/http://sundaytimes.lk/analysis/11967-iranian-rogue-elements-led-saudi-plot-analysts.html |date=14 October 2011 }} – ''TimesOnline'' – 13 October 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.</ref> [[Alireza Nader]], an Iran analyst at the [[Rand Corporation]], found it "difficult" to believe that Khamenei or Suleimani would order such an attack that "would put all of Iran's objectives and strategies at risk".<ref name="csm"/> If an Iranian agent was responsible for planning the assassination attempt, it parallels event in 1998, when the murder of prominent Iranian nationalists and writers was organised by three rogue Iranian secret service operatives, part of the Quds Forces<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jan/29/iran |location=London |work=The Guardian  | first=Geneive | last=Abdo | title=Iran's 'rogue agents' get death sentence | date=29 January 2001}}</ref>

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East analyst at the [[Congressional Research Service]], said, "There is simply no precedent – or even reasonable rationale – for Iran working any plot, no matter where located, through a non-Muslim proxy such as Mexican drug gangs.... The Iranian modus operandi is only to trust sensitive plots to their own employees, or to trusted proxies such as [[Hezbollah]], [[Saudi Hezbollah]], [[Hamas]], the Sadr faction in [[Iraq]], Iran-friendly extremist Muslims in [[Afghanistan]] and other pro-Iranian Muslim groups."<ref name="experts">{{cite news |title=Some Experts Question Iran's Role in Bungled Plot |url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/iran-experts-ponder-an-alleged-terror-plots-b-movie-qualities/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=13 October 2011 |first=Robert |last=Mackey |archive-date=13 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013003355/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/iran-experts-ponder-an-alleged-terror-plots-b-movie-qualities/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, US officials argued that Iran may have needed to use "a far riskier proxy" because "it has far fewer agents in the United States".<ref name="NYT"/> In 2013, Dexter Filkins described the attack as one of at least thirty directed by Iran's Quds force "in places as far flung as Thailand, New Delhi, Lagos, and Nairobi". Filkins noted that "The Quds Force appears to be more effective close to home, and a number of the remote plans have gone awry."<ref name="Shadow Commander">{{cite magazine|last=Filkins|first=Dexter|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander?currentPage=all|title=The Shadow Commander|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=2013-09-30|access-date=2014-08-11|archive-date=14 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214063916/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander?currentPage=all|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Mental status===
Dr. Michael B. First, editor of the [[DSM-IV-TR]], and Dr. Joel Morgan, of the APA Council, testified that Manssor Arbabsiar suffers from [[bipolar disorder]]. They said he has manic episodes in which he is not well in touch with reality, and that he has difficulty "comprehending the circumstances surrounding a particular decision or appreciating the consequences of that decision. Individuals with bipolar disorder who are in a manic state frequently display feelings of invincibility and grandiosity. These feelings may cause them to enter into agreements that they would not otherwise enter into."<ref name="Kaye">Jeff Kaye, [http://my.firedoglake.com/valtin/2012/10/09/governments-psych-eval-of-manssor-arbabsiar-fails-to-impress/ "Government's Psychological Evaluation of Manssor Arbabsiar Fails to Impress"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101122743/http://my.firedoglake.com/valtin/2012/10/09/governments-psych-eval-of-manssor-arbabsiar-fails-to-impress/ |date=1 November 2014 }}, 9 October 2012, retrieved 3 December 2012.</ref> They also said he has "impaired cognitive functioning."<ref>Ryan J. Reilly, [http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/manssor_arbabsiar_bipolar_disorder.php "Doctors Say Iranian-American Accused Of Saudi Assassination Plot Is Bipolar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204221527/http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/manssor_arbabsiar_bipolar_disorder.php |date=4 December 2012 }}, 17 July 2012, retrieved 3 December 2012.</ref>

A former partner said that Arbabsiar was known for being disorganized – for losing keys, forgetting to pay his bills, and getting important details wrong. "If they wanted 007, I think they got Mr. Bean," he stated.<ref>CNN Wire Staff, [http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-14/us/us_iran-saudi-arbabsiar-profile_1_arbabsiar-and-gholam-shakuri-conspiracy-iranian-plot?_s=PM:US "Friend: Man accused in Iranian plot is more 'Mr. Bean than 007'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302055118/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-14/us/us_iran-saudi-arbabsiar-profile_1_arbabsiar-and-gholam-shakuri-conspiracy-iranian-plot?_s=PM:US |date=2 March 2012 }}, 14 October 2011, retrieved 3 December 2012</ref><ref>Jasmin Ramsey, [http://www.lobelog.com/alleged-iran-terror-plot-tied-to-mr-bean-saudia-arabia-iraq-and-bahrain/ "Alleged Iran Terror Plot Tied To Mr. Bean, Saudi Arabia, Iraq And Bahrain"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020075516/http://www.lobelog.com/alleged-iran-terror-plot-tied-to-mr-bean-saudia-arabia-iraq-and-bahrain/ |date=20 October 2012 }}, 15 October 2011, retrieved 3 December 2012</ref>

==Aftermath==
===Act of war===
Several senior U.S. politicians, both [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], said the alleged plot could constitute an [[Casus belli|act of war]] by Iran. [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Carl Levin]], a Democrat who serves as chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]] says the plot may be an act of war against the United States. Republican [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] [[Michael McCaul]] shared his view.<ref>{{cite news |title=A top Senate Dem says Iran plot may be act of war |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/ap/congress/main20119359.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203075846/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/ap/congress/main20119359.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2011 |newspaper=[[CBS News]] |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011}}</ref> Republican Senator [[Mark Kirk]] called the plot an "act of war" and called on the [[Obama administration]] to consider sanctioning the [[Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran|Central Bank of Iran]] in response. However, Judge [[Andrew Napolitano]] stated that the plot, even if it had been sanctioned by members of the Iranian government, and though an affront to the United States, is legally not an act of war, but rather a criminal act, because there was no violence actually committed, and the matter has been taken to federal court.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120525194952/http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/10/11/judge-andrew-napolitano-on-terror-plot-suspect-if-this-was-an-act-of-war-he-would%e2%80%99ve-been-brought-to-guantanamo-bay/ "Judge Andrew Napolitano on Terror Plot Suspect: If This Was An Act of War, He Would’ve Been Brought to Guantanamo Bay"] - Foxnewsinsider.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012.</ref> Congressional counter-terrorism advisor [[Michael S. Smith II]] of [[Kronos Advisory, LLC]], who presented Congress a report on the Quds Force in April 2011, commented "If the rapidly expanding presence in our neighborhood of militant Islamist groups which accept directives from Iran's Quds Force special operations unit remains unchecked, the recent plot will most likely come to resemble a tip of the iceberg in terms of what could unfold within America's borders."<ref name="House Responds to Iran Threat">[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/10/13/house-reacts-iran-threat#ixzz1ahTuycTD  House Responds to Iran Threat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016013526/http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/10/13/house-reacts-iran-threat#ixzz1ahTuycTD |date=16 October 2011 }}. Fox News Channel. 13 October 2011</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20121206002108/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ghRPhpAicLLjQad84KP5hwCja97A?docId=CNG.c4e5aaec1a6b9ae498dbebf05c7cebdc.1121 Report highlights alleged Iran forces al-Qaeda links]. AFP. 4 May 2011</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150522043029/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador-casts-light-on-shadowy-group-that-reports-to-irans-leader/2011/10/13/gIQAthsmhL_story.html Plot to kill Saudi ambassador casts light on shadowy group that reports to Iran's leader]. The Associated Press. 13 October 2011</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thomaspmbarnett.squarespace.com/storage/Kronos_AQ.QF.Nexus.globlogization.pdf|title=The al-Qa'ida-Qods Force Nexus|access-date=19 October 2011|archive-date=13 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413024203/http://thomaspmbarnett.squarespace.com/storage/Kronos_AQ.QF.Nexus.globlogization.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Jeff Duncan (politician)|U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan (R, SC)]], introduced a House resolution urging the Obama administration to more closely examine terrorist threats in the Western Hemisphere emanating from Iran. The resolution calls for the Obama administration to: "Include the Western Hemisphere in the Administration's 2012 National Strategy for Counterterrorism's 'Area of Focus,’ which was absent in the 2011 edition." It also calls on the Department of Homeland Security, along with other agencies, "to examine Iran's presence, activity, and relationships in the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S." The resolution was co-sponsored by [[Brian Higgins|Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins of New York]].<ref name="House Responds to Iran Threat"/> On 31 January 2012, [[Director of National Intelligence]], [[James R. Clapper]], testified that Iran was prepared for a series of attacks on the United States, citing the assassination plot as a reflection of willingness for the country's terrorist efforts.<ref>{{cite news | last = Miller | first = Greg | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-is-prepared-to-launch-terrorist-attacks-in-us-intelligence-report-finds/2012/01/30/gIQACwGweQ_story.html | title = Iran, perceiving threat from West, willing to attack on U.S. soil, U.S. intelligence report finds | date = 31 January 2012 | newspaper = The Washington Post | access-date = 23 August 2017 | archive-date = 27 June 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170627113238/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-is-prepared-to-launch-terrorist-attacks-in-us-intelligence-report-finds/2012/01/30/gIQACwGweQ_story.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2019, former Defense Secretary [[James Mattis]], in his book ''Call Sign Chaos: Learning To Lead'' wrote that "Attorney General Eric Holder said the bombing plot was 'directed and approved by elements of the Iranian government and, specifically, senior members of the Qods Force.' The Qods were the Special Operations Force of the Revolutionary Guards, reporting to the top of the Iranian government". He criticized the Obama Administration for its handling of the terrorist plot, stating that "We treated an act of war as a law enforcement violation, jailing the low-level courier".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Torrance |first1=Kelly Jane |title='Act of war': Mattis says Obama's inept response to Cafe Milano bomb plot 'emboldened' Iran |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/act-of-war-mattis-says-obamas-inept-response-to-cafe-milano-bomb-plot-emboldened-iran |website=[[Washington Examiner]] |access-date=26 April 2021 |language=en |date=4 September 2019 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426045943/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/act-of-war-mattis-says-obamas-inept-response-to-cafe-milano-bomb-plot-emboldened-iran |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sanctions===
On 12 October 2011, President Obama imposed new sanctions on Iran and the [[White House]] said more actions would be taken.<ref>[http://www.siamdailynews.com/world-breaking-news/2011/10/12/u-s-alleges-iranian-plot-to-murder-saudi-ambassador-imposes-new-sanctions/ "U.S. alleges Iranian plot to murder Saudi ambassador, imposes new sanctions"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402130651/http://www.siamdailynews.com/world-breaking-news/2011/10/12/u-s-alleges-iranian-plot-to-murder-saudi-ambassador-imposes-new-sanctions/ |date=2 April 2012 }}. ''Siam Daily News''. 12 October 2011.</ref> Three weeks after US officials accused Iran of an assassination plot to be carried out on US soil, the [[House Foreign Affairs Committee]] voted to expand sanctions against Iran. The far-ranging bill includes targeting Iran's central bank.
Such action against Iran's central bank – which serves as a clearinghouse for nearly all oil and gas payments in Iran – will make it more difficult for Iran to sell crude oil, its chief source of cash, by blocking companies doing business with it from also working with US financial institutions. Some Iranian officials have likened such a step to an act of war.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1103/US-pushes-toward-more-biting-Iran-sanctions "US pushes toward more biting Iran sanctions"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015224905/https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1103/US-pushes-toward-more-biting-Iran-sanctions |date=15 October 2017 }}. ''The Christian science monitor''. 3 November 2011.</ref> The House Foreign Affairs Committee has also passed the [[Iran Threat Reduction Act]] which makes it illegal for U.S. diplomats to engage their Iranian counterparts, strips the President's authority to license the repair of Iran's aging civilian aircraft to prevent civilian deaths, and imposes indiscriminate sanctions that could increase gas prices and hurt the Iranian civil society.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iran-threat-reduction-act "Iran Threat Reduction Act"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401000357/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iran-threat-reduction-act/ |date=1 April 2016 }}. ''The Huffington Post''. 1 November 2011.</ref>

===Reactions===
====United States====
US President [[Barack Obama]] stated: "Even if at the highest levels there was not detailed operational knowledge, there has to be accountability with respect to anybody in the Iranian government engaging in this kind of activity."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/president-obama-on-alleged-iranian-plot-there-has-to-be-accountability/ |title=President Obama on Alleged Iranian Plot: "There Has to Be Accountability" – ABC News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |access-date=15 October 2011 |archive-date=14 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014201346/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/president-obama-on-alleged-iranian-plot-there-has-to-be-accountability/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Vice President [[Joe Biden]] said that Iran would be held accountable for the plot and described it as "an outrage that violates one of the fundamental premises upon which nations deal with one another and that is the sanctity and safety of their diplomats".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-biden-idUSTRE79B2MF20111012 |title=Biden says Iran will be held accountable for plot |work=Reuters |access-date=12 October 2011 |first=David |last=Morgan |date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308025136/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-biden-idUSTRE79B2MF20111012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] called the incident a "flagrant violation of international and United States law".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20119325-503544.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013185404/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20119325-503544.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2011 |title=Clinton: Iranian plot "dangerous escalation" of political violence – Political Hotsheet |work=CBS News |access-date=12 October 2011}}</ref>

====Iran====
Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] denied the accusations, calling them a "fabrication".<ref name=deny>{{cite news |title=Iranian plot to kill Saudi ambassador thwarted, U.S. officials say |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/11/justice/iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |publisher=CNN |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228194052/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/11/justice/iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mohammad Khazaee]], the [[Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations]], stated that he was "shocked to hear such a big lie" and that the version of events presented by the United States was an "insult to the common sense".<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. weighs how to pressure Iran in wake of alleged plot |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/12/us/iran-next-steps/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |publisher=CNN |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228194833/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/12/us/iran-next-steps/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Khazaee wrote in a letter to [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] that Iran "strongly and categorically rejects these fabricated and baseless allegations, based on the suspicious claims by an individual."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/us/us-accuses-iranians-of-plotting-to-kill-saudi-envoy.html?_r=1 Iranians Accused of a Plot to Kill Saudis’ U.S. Envoy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301185434/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/us/us-accuses-iranians-of-plotting-to-kill-saudi-envoy.html?_r=1 |date=1 March 2017 }}. The New York Times. 11 October 2011</ref> [[Ali Larijani]], chairman of the [[Iranian parliament]], said that the claims asserted by the United States were a "childish game".<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |title=US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15269348 |newspaper=BBC News |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=2 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102170820/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15269348 |url-status=live }}</ref> A spokesman for the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iran)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] told the [[Iranian Students News Agency]] that "Iran strongly denies the untrue and baseless allegations".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/12/justice/iran-saudi-plot/?hpt=hp_t2 |title=Iran slams plot allegations |publisher=CNN |access-date=12 October 2011 |date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=14 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014234029/http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/12/justice/iran-saudi-plot/?hpt=hp_t2 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]], the [[Supreme Leader of Iran]], described the allegations as "meaningless and absurd".<ref name=cnn15th>{{cite news|title=Iran's supreme leader lambasts U.S. over assassination allegations|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/15/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/index.html|access-date=17 October 2011|newspaper=CNN|date=15 October 2011|archive-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212182611/https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/15/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Saudi Arabia====
[[Turki bin Faisal Al Saud]], a former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, stated that Iranian involvement in the plot was "overwhelming" and that "somebody in Iran will have to pay the price".<ref name="reuters1">{{cite news |title=Saudis, U.S. trade charges with Iran over plot |first1=Mark |last1=Hosenball |first2=Parisa |last2=Hafezi |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-idUSTRE79A5E020111012?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews |work=[[Reuters]] |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310135306/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-iran-idUSTRE79A5E020111012?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews |url-status=live }}</ref> Saudi Arabia and Iran have long competed for power and dominance in the Middle East, and some Saudi officials commented that the alleged assassination plot would represent an escalation in the confrontation between the two.<ref name="Wall Street Journal">{{cite news |title=U.S. Accuses Iran in Plot |first=Evan |last=Perez |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203633104576625163343308154 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024064719/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203633104576625163343308154.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====International====
In France, a spokesman for the [[Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (France)|Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs]] released a statement saying: "For France, this is an extremely serious affair, an outrageous violation of international law, and its perpetrators and backers must be held accountable."<ref name=franceun>{{cite web|last=Valero|first=Bernard|title=Assassination attempt against the Saudi Ambassador|url=http://www.franceonu.org/spip.php?article5835|work=Franceonu.org|publisher=Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations|access-date=13 October 2011|archive-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330094322/http://www.franceonu.org/spip.php?article5835|url-status=live}}</ref>

A statement released from the office of British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] stated: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking. We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions."<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

The Dutch minister of foreign affairs, [[Uri Rosenthal]], has stated that he is "very, very, very, really exceptionally worried" about the alleged Iranian involvement in a plotted terrorist attack on civilians in the United States.<ref name=Netherlands>{{cite news|url=http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/article/detail/2965473/2011/10/12/Nederland-werkt-samen-met-VS-aan-maatregelen-tegen-Iran.dhtml|title=Nederland werkt samen met VS aan maatregelen tegen Iran|language=nl|work=[[Algemeen Dagblad]]|date=12 October 2011|access-date=13 October 2011|quote=Rosenthal zei 'zeer, zeer, zeer, echt uitzonderlijk verontrust' te zijn over de vermeende betrokkenheid van het bewind van Iran bij een terreurcomplot tegen doelen in de Verenigde Staten. 'Verontwaardiging is op zijn plaats'. (Rosenthal said there are "very, very, very, truly exceptional concerns" over the alleged involvement of the government of Iran in a terrorist plot against targets in the United States. "Indignation is in place".)|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215821/http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/article/detail/2965473/2011/10/12/Nederland-werkt-samen-met-VS-aan-maatregelen-tegen-Iran.dhtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 18 November 2011, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] passed a Saudi-drafted resolution called "Terrorist Attacks on Internationally Protected Persons".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saudi-Sponsored U.N. General Assembly Resolution Condemning Terrorist Attacks on Internationally Protected Persons {{!}} The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.saudiembassy.net/node/716 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=www.saudiembassy.net}}</ref> It received 106 votes in favor to 9 against with 41 abstentions. [[Armenia]], [[Bolivia]], [[Cuba]], [[Ecuador]], [[Iran]], [[North Korea]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Venezuela]] and [[Zambia]] voted against the resolution while countries including [[China]], [[India]], [[Russia]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Singapore]] abstained and expressed concerns regarding the resolution, saying that further investigation was required, proper evidence was needed and the plot needed to be investigated under what they called judicial standards. The Saudi delegate to the United Nations thanked the delegates on supporting the resolution, saying it shows a positive contribution to the fight against terrorism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2011/ga11176.doc.htm|title=General Assembly Adopts Text Deploring Plot to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Envoy to United States; Calls on Iran to Help Bring Perpetrators to Justice &#124; Meetings Coverage and Press Releases|website=www.un.org|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085152/https://www.un.org/press/en/2011/ga11176.doc.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Iran and state terrorism]]
* [[United States and state terrorism]]
* [[Iran–Saudi Arabia relations]]
* [[Iran–United States relations]]
* [[Iran–Israel proxy conflict]]
* [[Mexican Drug War]]
* [[Dawud Salahuddin]] – last successful Iranian assassination plot on U.S. soil

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/10/11/complaint.amended.pdf United States Department of Justice complaint]
*[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/October/11-ag-1339.html United States Department of Justice press release]

{{Iran–Israel proxy conflict}}
{{Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict}}
{{Iran–Saudi Arabia relations}}
{{Iran–United States relations}}
{{Israel–United States relations}}
{{Saudi Arabia–United States relations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alleged Iran assassination plot, 2011}}
[[Category:September 2011 in the United States]]
[[Category:2011 in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Failed assassination attempts in the United States]]
[[Category:Failed terrorist attempts in the United States]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2011]]
[[Category:Diplomatic incidents]]
[[Category:Diplomatic immunity and protection]]
[[Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia relations]]
[[Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict]]
[[Category:Iran–United States relations]]
[[Category:Iran–Israel proxy war]]
[[category:Israel–Saudi Arabia relations]]
[[Category:Israel–United States relations]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabia–United States relations]]
[[Category:Presidency of Barack Obama]]
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