US Vows Iran Will Be Held Accountable

The plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US had the support of elements of the Iranian government and Iran is going to pay, US officials vow. "The United States is committed to holding Iran accountable," Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters after the plot was exposed. Hillary Clinton says the US plans to work with its allies—and countries that might have previously been on the fence— to further isolate Iran and "send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended," Fox reports.

The plot shows the world "that nobody is safe from the Iranians," Clinton tells Reuters. "They have their own logic, their own way of thinking about the world and their place in it and they're vying with everybody for influence." The State Department has warned Americans around the world that Iran appears to have adopted "a more aggressive focus" on terrorism, and that attacks on US interests are possible. The Saudi embassy in DC described the plot as "a despicable violation of international norms," while Iran called the allegations a "fabrication," the Los Angeles Times reports. (More Iran stories.)