Tonight on Secure Freedom Radio: Why would Iranian Special Forces such as the Quds force carry out a strike against a Saudi Ambassador in the United States, especially when the current Obama administration is the most amicable administration towards Iran for the past thirty years? Could the elite Quds force, responsible for networking within foreign terrorist organizations, be the driving force behind the attack? Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Policy and former CIA officer, Clare Lopez shares with Frank her doubts about the legitimacy of Iran’s involvement in the recent assassination plot against the Saudi Ambassador to the US. Lopez says that the plot played out between the plotter, Manssor Arbabsiar and the FBI. No concrete proof of contact by phone between Arbabsiar and the Quds force has surfaced. In addition, the plot seemed sloppy for a government such as that in Iran, which prides itself on sophisticated operations. Anyone who had complex intelligence collection would have realized that the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, DC are “armed camps,” incapable of destruction merely by plastic explosives.
Clare Lopez continues today’s Secure Freedom Radio examining the motivations and intents behind the attacks. Given that there has always been a deep rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, why would they choose this moment to conduct a strike? As previously noted, the elite Iranian security forces are not known for carrying out careless operations. They have successfully covered their tracks in their involvement in the 9/11 attacks and their connections with al Qaeda networks. According to their historical record, why would they now leave behind traces of their work? Lopez argues that it simply makes no sense and that another force is certainly behind the plot. Statements from the Obama administration have become harsher and more critical of Iran since news of the attack. Perhaps the administration is finally realizing the serious national security threat posed by Iran?