The timetable is all off. If Saudi Arabia wanted to go to war with Iran, it would have been in a couple of years once they get all their fancy new ships, tanks, and planes. Right now, they're still shopping around.

Unless they have knowledge about the Iranian nuclear program's status that the rest of us don't have. Unlikely, but possible.

Seth'n'Spectrum: The timetable is all off. If Saudi Arabia wanted to go to war with Iran, it would have been in a couple of years once they get all their fancy new ships, tanks, and planes. Right now, they're still shopping around.

I'm sure if they asked Israel really, really nice they'd help out...

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: I'm sure if they asked Israel really, really nice they'd help out...

Israel would have to participate overtly to have an effect. I'm sure that would go down well on the Arab street.

Seth'n'Spectrum: Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: I'm sure if they asked Israel really, really nice they'd help out...

Israel would have to participate overtly to have an effect. I'm sure that would go down well on the Arab street.

Iranians aren't Arabs, so they should be cool.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Iranians aren't Arabs, so they should be cool.

Uhhhh, I'm saying on the street in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia itself and its neighbors. Teaming up with Israel to beat up a fellow Muslim state is not going to look good. If they went it alone, that might fly, since the Shia vs. Sunni/Arab vs. Persian rivalry would take precedence. But definitely not if they're working hand in hand with the Jews.

Seth'n'Spectrum: Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Iranians aren't Arabs, so they should be cool.

Uhhhh, I'm saying on the street in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia itself and its neighbors. Teaming up with Israel to beat up a fellow Muslim state is not going to look good. If they went it alone, that might fly, since the Shia vs. Sunni/Arab vs. Persian rivalry would take precedence. But definitely not if they're working hand in hand with the Jews.

OK, just checking to make sure.

Still, the Sauds could send in a token attack with a main attack backed (clandestinely) by Israel.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Still, the Sauds could send in a token attack with a main attack backed (clandestinely) by Israel.

What would be the goal of such an effort?

If it's to overthrow the government... well, good luck, we're all counting on you. They would need a massive invasion force, naval support in the Gulf, and a willingness to sustain very heavy casualties. The only country in the world which could do that right now is the U.S., and the costs are just too high at present.

If it's to disrupt the nuclear program, that wouldn't be wise either. An air strike would nail the coffin of the Green movement shut tight, and would likely only set back the Iranians by a few years or so. There would be a very strong rally-around-the-flag effect in Iran. A Saudi-Israel partnership makes more sense in that scenario, though, since the latter would need bases in the Gulf at which to base rescue operations, and the former might even be able to pitch in with the strike missions.

you know what else is amateurish?

coco ebert: This whole story is confusing. Who knows what's really going on. I don't mean in a tinfoilly way, just literally what the facts are of what happened.

yeah, I haven't read up on it but I heard the gist of it on WTOP and they said a Mexican drug cartel was conspiring with Iran to kill a Saudi. I don't quite get it; on the surface the connections don't make sense to me.

^True^

Tom Clancy already foretold of a terrorist/drug cartel relationship in The Teeth of the Tiger...

//At least Holder reads..

I hope all these terrorist mofos annihilate each other.

This article would be a great follow-up if the actual plot were true. Just more smoke and mirrors.

RexTalionis: Iran slammed the plot claimed by the US as "an amateurish scenario."

You know, Iran, I don't think the best way to deny your involvement in the plot is to say "I can do way better than that."

It's like that candidate, a few weeks back, feeling insulted when someone suggested he could be bought because, when he ran the numbers, it came to just $2500.

ultraholland: coco ebert: This whole story is confusing. Who knows what's really going on. I don't mean in a tinfoilly way, just literally what the facts are of what happened.

yeah, I haven't read up on it but I heard the gist of it on WTOP and they said a Mexican drug cartel was conspiring with Iran to kill a Saudi. I don't quite get it; on the surface the connections don't make sense to me.

I don't think it's that hard to get the concept: Iran hired Mexican drug cartel to do their dirty work. Now I'm not sure if it's real or not or just a distraction but the concept itself isn't that hard.

This is obviously a setup to allow Saudi Arabia to blow up Iran's nuclear plants since their is no way to Israel to do it without starting a huge war.

/Well played Obama
// well played

Maybe Obama will bow to Iran and apologize for offending the perps that led them to such an attempt. Seeing Obama bow to other foreign leaders is just as funny as the Bush monkey pictures. Retards

a considered Saudi response, IM(wishful)O would be to help further democratic reform in Iran, rather than sending in the kamikazes

maybe increased support for the Kurds in the north?

Mahmoud Ahneedajob better watch out. Rambo Squirrel is coming for him...

I dunno, a used car salesman hiring a team of Mexicans for an assassination attempt sounds more like a zany comedy than skullduggery.

Dixie_Wrecked: Maybe Obama will bow to Iran and apologize for offending the perps that led them to such an attempt. Seeing Obama bow to other foreign leaders is just as funny as the Bush monkey pictures. Retards

Damn man, how many Natty Lights have you cracked open today?

coco ebert: Who knows what's really going on.

I know, right? This whole thing makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why is the administration opening up another front for attack? It's lose-lose either way: they can choose to either appear weak or trigger-happy/war-spendy.

If their plan had been successfully executed, they would be deserving of a strongly worded letter. The only correct course of action here is to just pretend nothing happened.

AdolfOliverPanties: You have to love the art on Iranian government buildings.

I'm sensing some shenanigans here. Since when do Iranians use English writing on their anti-U.S. propaganda?

How would they behead an entire coun

Just need the proper tools.

let's get past the derp, here. given the situation in Iran (ie reform movements developing (probably) unstoppable momentum) what we are really looking at is an increasingly explicit Saudi opposition to the current Iranian regime

I'm not sure which asshole country I should be rooting for here...

I am not a conspiracy theorist by any means. I do, however, like to take a rational, thoughtful look at the evidence presented.

SO FAR, the evidence of the Iranian connection seems to be from this one guy in custody who "understood"/"said" that the contact/money man in Iran was actually a part of their government special forces. Which is all kinds of hearsay. I mean, we know for a fact that our own government officials claim to be all kinds of unsavory folks to try to infiltrate other groups/get evidence/stop plots before they hurt people. I'm sure other governments do so as well. Thus, this "understood to be officially Iranian connection" guy back in Iran could easily be anybody's agent....the only thing that prevents it from being a 15 year old boy dicking aroung is the evidence of a $100,000 down payment meant someone was bankrolling this shindig.

Iran? Plausible. America, looking for more causus belli? Plausible. Israel or Saudi Arabia, for the same? Plausible. Until actual hard evidence comes out, too soon to be throwing the "it's obvious lets go get them bastiches" card

ddam: I don't think it's that hard to get the concept: Iran hired Mexican drug cartel to do their dirty work. Now I'm not sure if it's real or not or just a distraction but the concept itself isn't that hard.

The concept in the literal sense is easy to follow. Put any thought into it, however, and your head will become full of f*ck. Especially since it would be blindingly obvious that a Mexican drug cartel would have no self-interest in eliminating a Saudi diplomat, so any "cover" or "distraction" it may provide is eliminated.

Um, the guy they arrested was some idiot who contacted a DEA official he thought was a member of a Mexican Drug Cartel. Then, the DEA agent recommended they kill the Saudi ambassador. This is known as entrapment, which while on the books is illegal, is no longer enforced in this country. Why do you think drug busts have risen?

AdolfOliverPanties: You have to love the art on Iranian government buildings.

[storage.canoe.ca image 512x384]

Kind of sad how it's more important to them to show their hatred of us than to demonstrate what they themselves bring to the world.

If the Saudis and Iranians want to kill each other on their own territories I am totally ok with that.

I hope this pic pisses Iran off

'beheading' a country can mean taking out the governing apparatus, of course - though the theocratic nature of the Iranian regime makes direct widespread action of this kind pretty unlikely (likely to backfire). taking out targeted parts of the security apparatus is probably more realistic - and may also significantly help internal reformers live long enough to succeed

sounds like a X-K-Red-27 technique.

Killer Cars: ddam: I don't think it's that hard to get the concept: Iran hired Mexican drug cartel to do their dirty work. Now I'm not sure if it's real or not or just a distraction but the concept itself isn't that hard.

The concept in the literal sense is easy to follow. Put any thought into it, however, and your head will become full of f*ck. Especially since it would be blindingly obvious that a Mexican drug cartel would have no self-interest in eliminating a Saudi diplomat, so any "cover" or "distraction" it may provide is eliminated.

That's if you assume that Mexican drug cartels are rational. If they were rational they'd peacefully split Mexico in regions and they'd all make a ton of money without all the violence. However, they are all greedy and it's hard to turn down $1.5 million if all you have to do is instruct a foot soldier in a street gang in DC to provide a few weapons or bombs which they got plenty of. Some of those cartel members would actually do all that for free just to show how powerful they are. They are that drunk with power at the moment.

Operation Northwoods