* U.S. officials: no hard evidence that Iran leaders knewBy Mark Hosenball and Parisa HafeziWASHINGTON/TEHRAN, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and the
United States traded charges with Iran Wednesday over an
alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington,
deepening divisions and sharpening a contest for power in the
oil-rich Gulf.The Saudis, long at odds with Tehran, said Iran would “pay
the price” for an exotic plot described by U.S. officials to
assassinate their ambassador. The United States threatened
further sanctions on Iran, while Tehran called the accusation a
fabrication designed to sow discord in the region.In Washington, U.S. officials said it was “more than
likely” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and
the head of its elite Quds force knew of the alleged plot. But
the officials acknowledged that they had no hard evidence for
the claim.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also
said it was possible Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, did
not know.Those comments raised the prospect that the affair —
handled, analysts said, with little of the professionalism that
usually marks Iranian covert activities — was the work of a
faction or rogue element within Iran.U.S. officials said the elaborate plot — which they
compared to a film script — would justify pushing for a new
round of U.N. sanctions against Iran. They imposed sanctions on
Wednesday on Mahan Air, a commercial Iranian airline which they
said provided funds and transport for Iran’s elite forces.Tehran said the allegations threaten stability in the Gulf
— where Saudi Arabia and Iran, the biggest regional powers,
are fierce rivals and Washington has a huge military presence.Speaking in London, Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal, himself a
former ambassador to Washington, said: “The burden of proof is
overwhelming … and clearly shows official Iranian
responsibility for this.”Somebody in Iran will have to pay the price.”U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told ABC television that
Washington was working on a new round of international
sanctions against Iran and “nothing has been taken off the
table.”Ali Larijani, Iran’s parliament speaker, said the
“fabricated allegations” aimed to divert attention from revolts
in the region and turn Muslim countries against each other.”America wants to divert attention from problems it faces
in the Middle East, but the Americans cannot stop the wave of
Islamic awakening by using such excuses,” Larijani said in an
open session of parliament.UNMASKEDU.S. authorities said Tuesday they had unmasked the plot by
two Iranians linked to security agencies to assassinate Saudi
Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir. One, Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested
last month while the other is believed to be in Iran.At a news conference, FBI Director Robert Mueller described
a convoluted conspiracy involving monitored international
calls, Mexican drug money and an attempt to blow up Jubeir, a
confidant of King Abdullah.Some Iran experts were skeptical, saying they could not see
the motive for such a plot. Iran has in the past assassinated
its own dissidents abroad, but an attempt to kill an ambassador
would be a highly unusual departure.And U.S. officials acknowledged that the plot’s exotic
elements were far “outside the pattern” of past activity by the
Quds Force, an arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps.U.S. court documents accuse Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S.
citizen with an Iranian passport, of paying $100,000 to an
informant, who had posed as an associate of a Mexican drug
cartel but in fact worked for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
and alerted the authorities to the plot.Arbabsiar made phone calls to Iran to the second suspect,
Gholam Shakuri, described as a member of the Quds Force.”It strikes me that Iran and the Quds Force would not
conduct a mission like this. It’s possible but unlikely,” said
Dubai-based defense analyst Theodore Karasik.”It doesn’t fit the modus operandi of the Quds Force or
Iranian intelligence services. If it was true, it would be one
of the most botched operations of its kind.”Rosemary Hollis, head of Middle East studies at London’s
City University, said it was hard to say how serious the plot
was, especially as the suspects were caught in a sting
operation, but the announcement was “an important signal of a
very volatile and potentially dangerous period ahead.”“It feels like a warning that the U.S. is about to get more
assertive with Iran and will do so in close coordination with
the Saudis,” she said.BITTER RIVALSMainly Shi’ite Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia are bitter
regional rivals and see themselves as protectors of Islam’s two
main sects. Nevertheless, they maintain diplomatic ties and
even signed a security agreement in 2001. Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Riyadh in 2007.Tensions rose between Riyadh and Tehran this year when
Saudi Arabia sent troops to help Bahrain’s Sunni leaders put
down Shi’ite-led pro-democracy protests.This month Riyadh accused some among its own Shi’ite Muslim
minority of conspiring with a foreign power — a clear
reference to Iran — following street clashes.But Iranian analyst Saaed Leylaz said it was hard to see
why Tehran would risk involving itself in a plot like the one
alleged in Washington.”Killing the Saudi envoy in America has no benefit for
Iran,” he said. “The consequences are dangerous… It could
cause military confrontation in 2012 between Iran and
America.”ACTION AT U.N.A Western diplomat in Riyadh said the charges were likely
to be discussed at the U.N. Security Council.”The U.S. and Saudi Arabia and other allies are discussing
the possibility of taking this to the Security Council because
this is an assault on a foreign diplomat in the U.S,” he said.U.S. President Barack Obama, who seeks re-election next
year, called the alleged conspiracy a “flagrant violation of
U.S. and international law.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said she hoped countries hesitant to enforce existing sanctions
on Iran would now “go the extra mile.”Iran also sought recourse in the world body. It’s
ambassador to the United Nations complained of U.S.
“warmongering” in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.”The U.S. allegation is, obviously, a politically motivated
move and a showcase of its long-standing animosity toward the
Iranian nation,” Mohammad Khazaee wrote.The State Department issued a three-month worldwide travel
alert for American citizens.The alleged plot “may indicate a more aggressive focus by
the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats
from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the
United States,” it said in a statement.