Iran must be held accountable for the alleged—and now thwarted—plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. and bomb the Sauidi and Israeli embassies, Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday morning, adding that the U.S. is already working to unite global public opinion behind condemning and isolating such behavior. The U.S. may even pursue the matter with the United Nations, Reuters reported.
Yesterday, the government charged two men with conspiring to kill Saudi ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir, as well as attempting to bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in D.C. One of the alleged conspirators, Iranian-American Manssor Arbabsiar, confessed to the plot, and provided the U.S. with information about the role the Iranian government’s played in the attempt. The other alleged conspirator, Gholam Shakuri, who is based in Iran, remains at large.
Biden appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s The Early Show, and NBC’s Today on Wednesday morning to discuss the event. He called the plot to assassinate the diplomat "an incredibly serious attempt to do something that was really unheard of," saying it violates "all international norms."
He said the U.S. is going to make sure the rest of the world knows exactly what happened and holds Iran accountable for their behavior.
“I think you’re going to see continued isolation of Iran," Biden said on The Early Show. “Their economy is already in deep trouble because of the sanctions that exist and I think what we have to do is unite the entire world against the Iranian behavior.”
Biden said that actions taken against Iran could go beyond the additional sanctions already in place after yesterday’s events, but did not reveal specifics.
“Nothing has been taken off the table,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
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