US Issues New Terror Alert Following Iran Bomb Plot
The U.S. State Department has issued a warning to American citizens around the world, suggesting a heightened risk of terrorist attacks on U.S. targets. The warning comes following the announcement of a foiled terror plot linked to Iran on Washington, D.C., that aimed to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States.
The alert, issued late Tuesday, stated, “The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens of the potential for anti-U.S. actions following the disruption of a plot, linked to Iran, to commit a significant terrorist act in the United States.”
The alert also said, “The U.S. government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador 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.”
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The warning for U.S. citizens traveling and living abroad will expire on Jan. 11, 2012.
The foiled attack involved two men from Iran; one man was a naturalized American citizen from Texas. They were plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States and bomb the Israeli and Saudi embassies in Washington, D.C.
The plot was linked to the Quds Force, part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard corps.
Now the world is waiting to see how America will respond to the planned attack, with some arguing that it is likely the United States will push further sanctions on Iran and may take the issue up with the United Nations Security Council.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the plot “crosses a line,” and FBI Director Robert Mueller said that the terror plot illustrated “we live in a world where borders and boundaries are increasingly irrelevant.”
When asked how the United States plans to respond to the terror plot, Vice President Joe Biden said, “Nothing is off the table.”
Iran has responded, saying that the terror plot was fabricated and that the United States is using bomb threats to distract the American people from domestic issues.
Only days before yesterday's announcement, an Iranian general compared the growing Occupy Wall Street movement to the Arab Spring, saying the movement will lead to the collapse of the Western capitalist system.
