President Barack Obama said today that Iran will “pay a price” through sanctions and international pressure for its recent hostile behavior, mostly referring to the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. President Obama also said when dealing with Iran, “We don’t take any options off the table,” but according to ABC news, he did not make any mention of possible military action as a way of dealing with the possible threats.
“We’re going to continue… to mobilize the international community to make sure that Iran is further and further isolated and pays a price for this kind of behavior,” Obama said.
It is also unclear whether the highest levels of the Iranian government were aware of the plot; however, Mr. President believes that even if it did not have “detailed operational knowledge, there has to be accountability with respect to anybody in the Iranian government engaging in this kind of activity.”
The F.B.I reports that an Iranian-American, 56-year-old Manssor Arbabsiar of, Texas, was working for the Iranian government when he attempted to hire hitmen from the feared Zetas Mexican drug cartel to carry out the hit on the Saudi-Arabian ambassador near a crowded D.C. restaurant, which very possibly could have been followed up by bombings of the Saudi-Arabian and Israeli embassies.
Officials said Arbabsiar flew from Iran through Frankfurt, Germany, to Mexico City Sept. 29 for a final planning session, but was refused entry to Mexico and later put on a plane to New York, where he was soon arrested. Officals also said that Arbabsiar is now cooperating with prosecutors and federal agents in New York, where the case has been transferred.
Being high school students, we were far too young to understand what went on that tragic day in September of 2001. Now that we are older and understand how serious and real terrorism can be, instances such as this one are extremely scary. At least we can gain some peace of mind knowing our President is looking out for us, and the government is handling the situation with extreme care.