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Iran Makes an 11,000 km Trip to Snuff out Saudi Diplomats | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Saudi ambassador in Baghdad, Thamer al-Sabhan


Riyadh- Tehran has crossed the distance of a large-scale 11,600 km to stage its two failed attempts on the lives of top Saudi diplomats in both Washington and Baghdad.

Assassination attempts only came after the two officials had succeeded in baring the bigoted and criminal Iranian regime before the world.

October 11, 2011, the U.S. announced foiling an Iranian plot to take down Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the time, Adel al-Jubeir. History repeated itself on August 21, a similar Iran-plotted attempt on the life of Saudi ambassador to Iraq Thamer Thamer Sabhan was carried out.

Directives given to stage the assassination attempts against the Saudi ambassadors, in two different countries and within the window of five years, via employing Iranian regime affiliated mercenaries were likely issued by Tehran.

As for the motives behind targeting the top diplomats, Iran was driven by its need to put an end to the effective role they played in exposing regime crimes across the region.

For its first attempt, Iran recruited a U.S. car salesman, of Iranian origins, Manssor Arbabsiar who had self-confessed his involvement in the assassination plot targeting Al-Jubeir before the U.S. District Court, New York.

Arbabsiar also admitted that the plot was carried out in partnership with top Iranian army officials.

Stuttering in trial, Arbabsiar worded his conspiring with Iranian army officials located in Tehran to take down the Saudi ambassador. He also confessed having made several trips to Mexico to hire a gang hitman associated with drug cartels for the job.

However, Arbabsiar did not know that the contracted killer in truth was a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) undercover agent. He made an offer of $1.5 million and discussed the plot for killing Al-Jubeir.

Al-Jubeir, born in Riyadh, was successful with directing several effective blows to the Iranian regime on uncovering its unwarranted regional interference and schemes on spurring sectarian strife.

Among the many facts revealed by Al-Jubeir was the Iranian regime’s fixation with controlling regional affairs, leading needless interferences, not to mention, deep involvement in the assassinations of international diplomats, politicians and attacks of diplomatic centers.

In another attempt, however targeting the Saudi ambassador to Iraq, the Iranian regime hired an armed Iraqi militia, sub-ordinate to Revolutionary Guard, directives to launch a RPG-7 projectile against Thamer Sabhan ’s armored vehicle.

The main motive this time was to create a political crisis between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Iran’s cleric-led regime did not come to accept the previously poor relationship between the two countries becoming better.

It would not serve Iranian political ends if Iraq and Saudi ties improve.

Thamer Sabhan posed a major threat to Iranian policy in Iraq which largely pivoted on aggravating sectarian strife, as the Saudi diplomat in under a year of being assigned to his post had succeeded in creating an ambiance for uniting Iraq’s social fabric.

Strengthening the concept of Iraq’s common Arab background and promoting unity, years after foreign interference, Thamer Sabhan’s approach did not get off well with Iran.

Iraq now is majorly influenced by Iranian subliminal puppeteering. Two days ago, Iraq’s ministry for foreign affairs had requested that Saudi Arabia replaces Thamer Sabhan based on Iranian calls. Thamer Sabhan has long proven high diplomatic aptitude.

Faithful to political guidelines, Sabhan assured that any replacement will be of no substantial difference, ‘Saudi Arabia’ and ‘Thamer Sabhan’ are eventually interchangeable terms- said Sabhan in reference to his devoted embodiment to his nationally assigned mission.