Foiled Iranian Death Plot Reads Like A Spy Novel

{
  "authors": [
    "Karim Sadjadpour"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Iran",
    "Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security"
  ]
}

In The Media

Foiled Iranian Death Plot Reads Like A Spy Novel

The alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, while inconsistent with past Iranian actions, could have been driven by regional rivalries between Tehran and Riyadh.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Oct 13, 2011

Source: NPR

Speaking on NPR, Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour noted that an alleged foiled plot by members of the Iranian Quds force to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States “seems to be inconsistent with past operations of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.” In the past, he explained, the Revolutionary Guards would carry out operations in places that they knew they could get away with it, like in South America. Furthermore, they typically have not worked with non-Muslim proxies like the Mexican drug cartel allegedly involved in the plot.

Yet while the plan does not seem to be consistent with past Iranian actions, “there is a great deal of antipathy between Riyadh and Tehran,” suggested Sadjadpour, and such tension could be seen as a catalyst for the assassination attempt. He concluded that attacking the Saudi ambassador to the United States while he is in Washington could be an effort to defy both the Saudis and the United States.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Recent Work

Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Q&A
How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps
- Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Security Middle East Iran Saudi Arabia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Paper
Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf Security
The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.
Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid
Article
Continental Asia and the Rise of Portfolio Politics
“Central Asia” as an analytical category is itself part of the problem. The term is a Soviet administrative inheritance, drawn along lines that served the convenience of Moscow. The Central Asian states the Soviets named no longer see themselves through this category alone and are not aligning across political blocs but are instead building external partnerships sector by sector, assigning different partners to different functions.
Jennifer B. Murtazashvili
Article
Palestine’s Climate Change Planning Faces Its Limits
Barriers ranging from weak legal frameworks to ongoing, occupation-related limitations are constraining Palestine from achieving its ambitious climate targets.
Joy Arkeh, Nabil Nasser
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
In Russia, Private Companies Have Been Left to Pick Up the Tab for Ukrainian Drone Attacks
The cost of air defense has become an unregistered tax on revenue for businesses. While military rents are consolidated in the federal budget, the costs of defense are being spread across the balance sheets of companies and regional governments.
Alexandra Prokopenko
Commentary
Diwan
Corrupted by Absolute Power
In an interview, Marc Lynch discusses his new book decrying the post-1990 U.S.-dominated order in the Middle East.
Michael Young

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Paper

Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf Security

The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.

Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid

Article

Continental Asia and the Rise of Portfolio Politics

“Central Asia” as an analytical category is itself part of the problem. The term is a Soviet administrative inheritance, drawn along lines that served the convenience of Moscow. The Central Asian states the Soviets named no longer see themselves through this category alone and are not aligning across political blocs but are instead building external partnerships sector by sector, assigning different partners to different functions.

Jennifer B. Murtazashvili

Article

Palestine’s Climate Change Planning Faces Its Limits

Barriers ranging from weak legal frameworks to ongoing, occupation-related limitations are constraining Palestine from achieving its ambitious climate targets.

Joy Arkeh, Nabil Nasser

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

In Russia, Private Companies Have Been Left to Pick Up the Tab for Ukrainian Drone Attacks

The cost of air defense has become an unregistered tax on revenue for businesses. While military rents are consolidated in the federal budget, the costs of defense are being spread across the balance sheets of companies and regional governments.

Alexandra Prokopenko

Commentary

Diwan

Corrupted by Absolute Power

In an interview, Marc Lynch discusses his new book decrying the post-1990 U.S.-dominated order in the Middle East.

Michael Young