Context
The US has blamed Iran for a plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador in US. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its operational arm, the Quds Force, are alleged to be behind the attempt. Gholam Shakuri, who is a member of the Quds Force, and Manssor Arbabsiar, an Iranian-US citizen, were allegedly involved in a plot to kill a Saudi diplomat. Arbabsiar is said to have paid e100,000 down-payment on the $1.5 million requested by an informant of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, whom he believed to be a member of a Mexican drug cartel.
The international saga has caused outrage in the US and Saudi Arabia, with Washington threatening further sanctions against Tehran. Iran has denied the allegations. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Iran condemned the claims as “politically motivated” and a “showcase of long-standing animosity towards the Iranian nation.”
