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2011 Iran assassination plot

Part of Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict and Iran–Israel proxy conflict
Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir
Date	29 September 2011 (2011-09-29) (arrests) 11 October 2011 (2011-10-11) (announcement)
Venue	A local restaurant, the Embassy of Israel and the Embassy of Saudi Arabia
Location	Washington, D.C., United States
Also known as	Iran assassination plot or the "Iran terror plot" (media) Operation Red Coalition (FBI)
Type	Terrorism
Cause	Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Suspects	Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri (at large)
Convicted	30 May 2013
Charges	To participate in a plot allegedly directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives
Verdict	Guilty
Sentence	25 years imprisonment (Manssor Arbabsiar)

On 11 October 2011, United States officials alleged there was a plot tied to the Iranian government to assassinate Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in the United States. The plot was referred to as the "Iran assassination plot" or the "Iran terror plot" in the media, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation named the case "Operation Red Coalition". Iranian nationals Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri were charged on 11 October 2011 in federal court in New York with plotting to assassinate Al-Jubeir. According to U.S. officials, the two planned to kill Al-Jubeir at a restaurant with a bomb and subsequently bomb the Saudi embassy and the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Bombings in Buenos Aires were also discussed. Arbabsiar was arrested on 29 September 2011 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while Shakuri remained at large. On 24 October 2011, Arbabsiar pleaded not guilty. In May 2013, after pleading guilty, Arbabsiar was sentenced to 25-years imprisonment.

It is debated whether the Iranian government condoned or facilitated the plot; some experts suggested that the planners may be rogue elements within the Iranian secret service.

Assassination plot

Charges announced

On 11 October 2011, the U.S. Attorney General and the Director of the FBI announced two individuals have been charged in federal court for their participation in a plot allegedly directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States. "The criminal complaint unsealed today exposes a deadly plot directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign Ambassador on U.S. soil with explosives," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "Though it reads like the pages of a Hollywood script, the impact would have been very real and many lives would have been lost," FBI Director Robert Mueller said. The criminal complaint charged Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, a commander in Iran's Quds Force, the special-operations unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The U.S. Government alleged that the Quds Force "conducts sensitive covert operations abroad, including terrorist attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to sponsor attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq." In October 2007, the U.S. Treasury Department had designated the Quds Force as providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations. The defendants were charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries.

Plot

The details of the plot were established in later court proceedings. According to these events, Arbabsiar met with Shakuri from the spring of 2011 to October 2011 to plot the murder of the Saudi Ambassador, and met with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) source in Mexico who posed as an associate of an international drug trafficking cartel. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire the source to murder the Ambassador using explosives, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan. With Shakuri's approval, Arbabsiar caused $100,000 to be wired into a bank account in the United States as a down payment for the killing. In June and July 2011, the complaint stated, Arbabsiar returned to Mexico and held additional meetings with the DEA source, where Arbabsiar explained that his associates in Iran had discussed a number of further missions they wanted the source and his associates to perform, including the murder of the Ambassador.

During a 14 July 2011 meeting in Mexico, the source and Arbabsiar agreed that four men would be used to orchestrate the Ambassador's killing and that the total price would be $1.5 million for the murder. Arbabsiar also assured the source that $100,000 would be forthcoming from Iran as a further payment towards the assassination and discussed the manner in which that payment would be made. During the meeting, Arbabsiar described having a cousin in Iran who was a "big general" in the military, and had requested that Arbabsiar find someone to carry out the Ambassador's assassination. In a 17 July 2011 meeting in Mexico, the source told Arbabsiar that one of his workers had traveled to Washington, D.C. and had observed the Ambassador. They discussed bombing a restaurant in the United States that the Ambassador frequented. The source told Arbabsiar there might be innocent civilian casualties, to which Arbabsiar replied "They want that guy done, if a hundred go with him, f**k 'em", and that such concerns were "no big deal". On 1 August 2011 and 9 August 2011, with Shakuri's approval, Arbabsiar caused two overseas wire transfers totaling approximately $100,000 to be sent as a down payment for carrying out the assassination.

Arrest and confession

On 20 September 2011, the source told Arbabsiar that the operation was ready and requested that Arbabsiar either pay one half of the agreed upon price of $1.5 million or that Arbabsiar personally travel to Mexico as collateral for the final payment. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar agreed to travel to Mexico, and did so on 28 September 2011. He was refused entry by Mexican authorities and flown to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York where he was promptly arrested by U.S. federal agents and subsequently confessed to the plot. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar told agents that he was "recruited, funded and directed by men he understood to be senior officials in Iran's Quds Force," including his cousin who he had "long understood to be a senior member of the Quds Force." Arbabsiar claimed he had met several times in Iran with Shakuri and another senior Quds Force official where they discussed blowing up a restaurant in the United States frequented by the Ambassador and that numerous bystanders could be killed.

In early October 2011, according to the complaint, Arbabsiar made phone calls at the direction of law enforcement agents to Shakuri in Iran that were secretly monitored. During these phone calls, Shakuri confirmed that Arbabsiar should move forward with the plot to murder the Ambassador and that he should accomplish the task as quickly as possible, stating on 5 October 2011, "just do it quickly, it's late..." Investigations by the FBI disclosed that money had been wired from a Quds Force bank account, and that Arbabsiar correctly identified a known Quds Force officer from a photo array shown to him in custody.

Conviction

On 24 October 2011, Arbabsiar at first pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty. On 30 May 2013, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Manssor Arbabsiar, register number 65807-054, is now currently serving his sentence at Marion USP with a projected release date of 28 July 2033.

Alleged responsibility

U.S. officials said that it was "more than likely" that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the head of the Quds Force, Major General Qasem Soleimani, knew of the plot, but acknowledged this was based on analysis rather than hard evidence. They speculated it was inconceivable that in Iran's hierarchy Khamenei or Suleimani would not be aware of such an action, stating "it would be our assessment that this kind of operation would have been discussed at the highest levels of the regime." The officials acknowledged that the plot was far "outside the pattern" of the Quds Force past activity.

Other commentators speculated that the men may have been acting as rogue elements in the Iranian government rather than the actual government itself. A senior U.S. law enforcement official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity stated, "It's so outside their normal track of activity. It's a rogue plan or they're using very different tactics. We just don't know." The government of Iran vehemently denied the accusations and Iran's United Nations representative called the confession "suspicious claims by an individual," and said his claims were fabricated. While the U.S. Department of Justice said Shakuri was still at large, Iran claimed Shakuri belonged to an Iranian exile opposition group aiming to overthrow the Iranian Government.

Skepticism

At the same time, a number of prominent Iran experts have questioned the Iranian government's link to the plot. Suzanne Maloney, senior fellow at The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said much of what was known of the plot did "not fit the usual patterns of Iran's involvement with terrorist activities. It seems quite credible to me that it could be rogue elements, but I don't know to what degree the Iranian military tolerates such dissent." Alireza Nader, an Iran analyst at the Rand Corporation, found it "difficult" to believe that Khamenei or Suleimani would order such an attack that "would put all of Iran's objectives and strategies at risk". If an Iranian agent was responsible for planning the assassination attempt, it parallels event in 1998, when the murder of prominent Iranian nationalists and writers was organised by three rogue Iranian secret service operatives, part of the Quds Forces

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East analyst at the Congressional Research Service, said, "There is simply no precedent – or even reasonable rationale – for Iran working any plot, no matter where located, through a non-Muslim proxy such as Mexican drug gangs.... The Iranian modus operandi is only to trust sensitive plots to their own employees, or to trusted proxies such as Hezbollah, Saudi Hezbollah, Hamas, the Sadr faction in Iraq, Iran-friendly extremist Muslims in Afghanistan and other pro-Iranian Muslim groups." However, US officials argued that Iran may have needed to use "a far riskier proxy" because "it has far fewer agents in the United States". In 2013, Dexter Filkins described the attack as one of at least thirty directed by Iran's Quds force "in places as far flung as Thailand, New Delhi, Lagos, and Nairobi". Filkins noted that "The Quds Force appears to be more effective close to home, and a number of the remote plans have gone awry."

Mental status

Dr. Michael B. First, editor of the DSM-IV-TR, and Dr. Joel Morgan, of the APA Council, testified that Manssor Arbabsiar suffers from bipolar disorder. They said he has manic episodes in which he is not well in touch with reality, and that he has difficulty "comprehending the circumstances surrounding a particular decision or appreciating the consequences of that decision. Individuals with bipolar disorder who are in a manic state frequently display feelings of invincibility and grandiosity. These feelings may cause them to enter into agreements that they would not otherwise enter into." They also said he has "impaired cognitive functioning."

A former partner said that Arbabsiar was known for being disorganized – for losing keys, forgetting to pay his bills, and getting important details wrong. "If they wanted 007, I think they got Mr. Bean," he stated.

Aftermath

Act of war

Several senior U.S. politicians, both Democrat and Republican, said the alleged plot could constitute an act of war by Iran. Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat who serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the plot may be an act of war against the United States. Republican Representative Michael McCaul shared his view. Republican Senator Mark Kirk called the plot an "act of war" and called on the Obama administration to consider sanctioning the Central Bank of Iran in response. However, Judge Andrew Napolitano stated that the plot, even if it had been sanctioned by members of the Iranian government, and though an affront to the United States, is legally not an act of war, but rather a criminal act, because there was no violence actually committed, and the matter has been taken to federal court. Congressional counter-terrorism advisor Michael S. Smith II of Kronos Advisory, LLC, who presented Congress a report on the Quds Force in April 2011, commented "If the rapidly expanding presence in our neighborhood of militant Islamist groups which accept directives from Iran's Quds Force special operations unit remains unchecked, the recent plot will most likely come to resemble a tip of the iceberg in terms of what could unfold within America's borders."

U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan (R, SC), introduced a House resolution urging the Obama administration to more closely examine terrorist threats in the Western Hemisphere emanating from Iran. The resolution calls for the Obama administration to: "Include the Western Hemisphere in the Administration's 2012 National Strategy for Counterterrorism's 'Area of Focus,’ which was absent in the 2011 edition." It also calls on the Department of Homeland Security, along with other agencies, "to examine Iran's presence, activity, and relationships in the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S." The resolution was co-sponsored by Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins of New York. On 31 January 2012, Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, testified that Iran was prepared for a series of attacks on the United States, citing the assassination plot as a reflection of willingness for the country's terrorist efforts.

In 2019, former Defense Secretary James Mattis, in his book Call Sign Chaos: Learning To Lead wrote that "Attorney General Eric Holder said the bombing plot was 'directed and approved by elements of the Iranian government and, specifically, senior members of the Qods Force.' The Qods were the Special Operations Force of the Revolutionary Guards, reporting to the top of the Iranian government". He criticized the Obama Administration for its handling of the terrorist plot, stating that "We treated an act of war as a law enforcement violation, jailing the low-level courier".

Sanctions

On 12 October 2011, President Obama imposed new sanctions on Iran and the White House said more actions would be taken. Three weeks after US officials accused Iran of an assassination plot to be carried out on US soil, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to expand sanctions against Iran. The far-ranging bill includes targeting Iran's central bank. Such action against Iran's central bank – which serves as a clearinghouse for nearly all oil and gas payments in Iran – will make it more difficult for Iran to sell crude oil, its chief source of cash, by blocking companies doing business with it from also working with US financial institutions. Some Iranian officials have likened such a step to an act of war. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has also passed the Iran Threat Reduction Act which makes it illegal for U.S. diplomats to engage their Iranian counterparts, strips the President's authority to license the repair of Iran's aging civilian aircraft to prevent civilian deaths, and imposes indiscriminate sanctions that could increase gas prices and hurt the Iranian civil society.

Reactions

United States

US President Barack Obama stated: "Even if at the highest levels there was not detailed operational knowledge, there has to be accountability with respect to anybody in the Iranian government engaging in this kind of activity." Vice President Joe Biden said that Iran would be held accountable for the plot and described it as "an outrage that violates one of the fundamental premises upon which nations deal with one another and that is the sanctity and safety of their diplomats". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the incident a "flagrant violation of international and United States law".

Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the accusations, calling them a "fabrication". Mohammad Khazaee, the Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations, stated that he was "shocked to hear such a big lie" and that the version of events presented by the United States was an "insult to the common sense". Khazaee wrote in a letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon that Iran "strongly and categorically rejects these fabricated and baseless allegations, based on the suspicious claims by an individual." Ali Larijani, chairman of the Iranian parliament, said that the claims asserted by the United States were a "childish game". A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Iranian Students News Agency that "Iran strongly denies the untrue and baseless allegations". Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, described the allegations as "meaningless and absurd".

Saudi Arabia

Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, a former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, stated that Iranian involvement in the plot was "overwhelming" and that "somebody in Iran will have to pay the price". Saudi Arabia and Iran have long competed for power and dominance in the Middle East, and some Saudi officials commented that the alleged assassination plot would represent an escalation in the confrontation between the two.

International

In France, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs released a statement saying: "For France, this is an extremely serious affair, an outrageous violation of international law, and its perpetrators and backers must be held accountable."

A statement released from the office of British Prime Minister David Cameron stated: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking. We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions."

The Dutch minister of foreign affairs, Uri Rosenthal, has stated that he is "very, very, very, really exceptionally worried" about the alleged Iranian involvement in a plotted terrorist attack on civilians in the United States.

On 18 November 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a Saudi-drafted resolution called "Terrorist Attacks on Internationally Protected Persons". It received 106 votes in favor to 9 against with 41 abstentions. Armenia, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Iran, North Korea, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Zambia voted against the resolution while countries including China, India, Russia, Switzerland and Singapore abstained and expressed concerns regarding the resolution, saying that further investigation was required, proper evidence was needed and the plot needed to be investigated under what they called judicial standards. The Saudi delegate to the United Nations thanked the delegates on supporting the resolution, saying it shows a positive contribution to the fight against terrorism.

See also

• Iran and state terrorism
• United States and state terrorism
• Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
• Iran–United States relations
• Iran–Israel proxy conflict
• Mexican Drug War
• Dawud Salahuddin – last successful Iranian assassination plot on U.S. soil

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External links

• United States Department of Justice complaint
• United States Department of Justice press release

v t e Iran–Israel proxy conflict
Background	Iranian revolution Iran–Iraq war 1999 arrest of Iranian Jews
2024 Iran–Israel conflict	Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus reactions Iranian seizure of the MSC Aries Iranian strikes on Israel April 2024 October 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran April 2024 October 2024 intelligence leak
Hezbollah–Israel conflict	Israeli–Lebanese conflict South Lebanon conflict 1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats Assassination of Abbas al-Musawi 1992 Buenos Aires Israeli embassy bombing AMIA bombing 2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict 2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid 2005 Hezbollah cross-border raid 2006 Lebanon War Assassination of Imad Mughniyeh 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange 2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt Francop Affair January 2015 Shebaa Farms incident Operation Northern Shield 2019 Beirut drone crash 2023 Israel–Lebanon shellings Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) Assassination of Fuad Shukr 2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks 20 September 2024 Beirut attack September 2024 Israeli attacks against Lebanon 2024 Hezbollah headquarters strike Assassination of Hashem Safieddine 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement Projectile attacks from Lebanon
Israeli–Palestinian conflict	Karine A affair Victoria Affair Operation Full Disclosure
Gaza–Israel conflict	Gaza War (2008–2009) 2014 Gaza War Israel–Hamas war Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
Syrian civil war	January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes December 2014 Rif Dimashq airstrikes January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident Qalamoun offensive (May–June 2015) March 2017 Israel–Syria incident February 2018 Israel–Syria incident Operation House of Cards September 2018 Syria missile strikes August 2019 Syria missile strikes November 2019 Syria missile strikes January 2021 Syria airstrikes 2023 Damascus airstrike Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents Hezbollah involvement
International incidents	Operation Outside the Box 2009 Sudan airstrikes 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot 2012 attacks on Israeli diplomats 2012 Bangkok bombings 2012 Cyprus terrorist plot 2012 Burgas bus bombing Yarmouk munitions factory explosion 2019 Israeli airstrikes in Iraq 2022 Erbil missile attacks 2022 Istanbul terror plot 2024 Iranian missile strikes in Iraq and Syria 20 July 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen
Nuclear program of Iran	Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists Ardeshir Hosseinpour Massoud Ali-Mohammadi Majid Shahriari Fereydoon Abbasi Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Mohsen Fakhrizadeh AMAD Project Mossad infiltration of Iranian nuclear archive Bid Kaneh explosion Stuxnet 2020 Iran explosions 2021 Natanz incident 2023 Iran drone attacks
Related	Russia and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict Russia–Hamas relations Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Ahmad Reza Djalali Axis of Resistance Arab–Israeli alliance Abraham Accords Warsaw Middle East conference People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran Little Satan Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel Views on military action against Iran Iran and state-sponsored terrorism Iranian support for Hamas Israel and state-sponsored terrorism Quds Day Prisoner X2 Tehran
Category:Iran–Israel proxy conflict

v t e Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Background	Iranian revolution 1979 Khuzestan insurgency Arab separatism in Khuzestan Qatif conflict 1979 Qatif Uprising
Conflicts	Iran–Iraq War Action of June 5, 1984 Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict Qatar diplomatic crisis 2011 Egyptian revolution 2011 Bahraini uprising Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain insurgency in Bahrain First Libyan civil war Syrian civil war Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Saudi involvement Spillover in Lebanon Axis of Resistance War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iranian intervention in Iraq Yemeni crisis Houthi insurgency Operation Scorched Earth Operation Blow to the Head Yemeni revolution Yemeni civil war Saudi-led intervention in Yemen Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict Houthi takeover in Yemen Second Libyan civil war
Incidents	1987 Mecca incident Khobar Towers bombing 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests 2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution Execution of Nimr al-Nimr 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran 2019 Saudi Arabia mass execution 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot 2015 Mina stampede 2017 Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute 2017–2020 Qatif unrest 2018 Riyadh missile strike International Maritime Security Construct United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident 2019 Afif attack Abha International Airport attacks Abqaiq–Khurais attack
Iranian relations with GCC member states	Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar United Arab Emirates
Related topics	Iran and state-sponsored terrorism Iran–Israel proxy conflict Arab League–Iran relations Arab–Israeli alliance against Iran Warsaw Middle East conference Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Opposition to military action against Iran Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition Gulf Cooperation Council Iran International Shia–Sunni relations Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia
Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

v t e Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
Diplomatic posts	Ambassadors of Iran to Saudi Arabia Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Tehran Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Iran
Diplomacy	Safari Club
Conflicts	Iranian revolution 1979 Khuzestan insurgency Arab separatism in Khuzestan Qatif conflict 1979 Qatif Uprising Iran–Iraq War Action of June 5, 1984 Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict Qatar diplomatic crisis 2011 Egyptian revolution 2011 Bahraini uprising Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain insurgency in Bahrain 2011 Libyan civil war Syrian civil war Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Saudi involvement Spillover in Lebanon Axis of Resistance Iranian intervention in Iraq Yemeni crisis Houthi insurgency Operation Scorched Earth Operation Blow to the Head Yemeni revolution Yemeni civil war Saudi-led intervention in Yemen Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict Houthi takeover in Yemen Second Libyan civil war
Incidents	1987 Mecca incident Khobar Towers bombing 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests 2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution Execution of Nimr al-Nimr 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran 2019 Saudi Arabia mass execution 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot 2015 Mina stampede 2017 Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute 2017–2020 Qatif unrest 2018 Riyadh missile strike International Maritime Security Construct United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident 2019 Afif attack Abha International Airport attacks Abqaiq–Khurais attack
Iranian relations with GCC member states	Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar United Arab Emirates
Related	Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry Iran and state-sponsored terrorism Iran–Israel proxy conflict Arab League–Iran relations Arab–Israeli alliance Warsaw Middle East conference Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Opposition to military action against Iran Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition Gulf Cooperation Council Iran International Shia–Sunni relations Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia
Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia relations

v t e Iran–United States relations
Diplomatic posts	Embassy of Iran, Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Embassy of the United States, Tehran Ambassadors of the United States to Iran Interests Section of Iran in the United States Consulate-General of the United States, Tabriz Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Iran–United States Claims Tribunal Iranian Directorate Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group
Diplomacy	Persian Corridor Persian Gulf Command Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry 1953 Iranian coup d'état Abadan Crisis Timeline Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights Exercise Delawar Project Dark Gene Safari Club Island of Stability Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to George W. Bush Correspondence between Barack Obama and Ali Khamenei Phone conversation between Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Negotiations Joint Plan of Action Framework Reactions Criticism Aftermath U.S. withdrawal
Conflicts	Iran–Iraq War United States support for Iraq Bridgeton incident Iran Air Flight 655 Iran Ajr Iran–Contra affair Operation Staunch Operation Eager Glacier Operation Earnest Will Operation Prime Chance Operation Nimble Archer Operation Praying Mantis Syrian civil war Yemeni Civil War Arab–Israeli alliance against Iran Abraham Accords February 2019 Warsaw Conference Iran–Israel proxy conflict Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition International Maritime Security Construct Assassination of Qasem Soleimani reactions Thirteen revenge scenarios Donald Trump's threat for the destruction of Iranian cultural sites Operation Martyr Soleimani 2020 Camp Taji attacks
Incidents after 1979	Assassination of Paul R. Shaffer and John H. Turner Iranian revolution Iran hostage crisis Timeline Guadeloupe Conference Operation Credible Sport Operation Eagle Claw Canadian Caper Jimmy Carter's engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini 1980 October Surprise theory Negotiations Algiers Accords America can't do a damn thing against us Beirut barracks bombings Khobar Towers bombing Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal Disappearance of Robert Levinson United States kill or capture strategy in Iraq United States raid on the Iranian Liaison Office in Erbil Kidnapping of Jalal Sharafi 2008 Naval dispute Filipino Monkey Project Cassandra Detention of American hikers United States diplomatic cables leak 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot Strait of Hormuz dispute RQ-170 incident MV Maersk Tigris 2016 Naval incident Nuclear program of Iran Timeline P5+1 Operation Merlin Charming Kitten Stuxnet Kidnapping of Hossein Alikhani Arrest of Meng Wanzhou Deportation of Iranian students at US airports May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone 2019 K-1 Air Base attack December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad 2020 Iran explosions 2021 Erbil rocket attacks 2021 Natanz incident February 2021 United States airstrike in Syria Leaked Mohammad Javad Zarif audiotape June 2021 United States airstrike in Syria July 2021 Gulf of Oman incident August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident 2021 U.S.–Iran naval incident 2022 Erbil missile attacks 2023 Northeastern Syria clashes Seizure of Suez Rajan and St Nikolas Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (2023–present) 2024 Erbil attack Tower 22 drone attack Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections
Legislation	United States sanctions against Iran Maximum pressure campaign Executive Order 12170 Executive Order 12172 Executive Order 13769 reactions Trump travel ban Executive Order 13780 Executive Order 13876 Iran and Libya Sanctions Act Iran Nonproliferation Act Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Act Iran Freedom and Support Act Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act Kyl–Lieberman Amendment Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act Public Law 113-100 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act Dames & Moore v. Regan United States Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran Oil Platforms case United States v. Banki Bank Markazi v. Peterson Certain Iranian Assets Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran Alleged violations of Treaty of Amity
Groups and individuals	Iran Action Group Iran–America Society Iranian Students Association in the United States National Iranian American Council Organization of Iranian American Communities United Against Nuclear Iran Farashgard Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Jundallah Kingdom Assembly of Iran National Council of Iran National Council of Resistance of Iran People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran Elliott Abrams Howard Baskerville William J. Fallon Brian Hook Joseph Macmanus Robert Malley Stephen D. Mull Erwin David Rabhan Jason Rezaian Scott Ritter Craig Wadsworth Michael R. White Roxana Saberi Saeed Abedini Saeid Aboutaleb Shahram Amiri Sirous Asgari Mahmoud Reza Banki Haleh Esfandiari Amir Mirza Hekmati Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil Shahrzad Mirgholikhan Mohammad Hosseini Esha Momeni Mohammad Mosaddegh Baquer Namazi Siamak Namazi Sahar Nowrouzzadeh Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran Noor Pahlavi Trita Parsi Maryam Rajavi Abdolreza Shahlaei Ali Shakeri Masoud Soleimani Morad Tahbaz Kian Tajbakhsh Karan Vafadari Xiyue Wang Nizar Zakka Iranian Guantanamo Bay detainees Abdul Majid Muhammed
Related	1998 FIFA World Cup match Academic relations between Iran and the United States American Islam Anti-American sentiment in Iran Axis of evil CIA activities in Iran Copyright relations Death to America Dual containment Great Satan International Conference on Hollywoodism Iran and state-sponsored terrorism Iranian frozen assets Opposition to military action against Iran State Sponsor of Terrorism United States involvement in regime change United States and state-sponsored terrorism 650 Fifth Avenue Alavi Foundation Alborz High School American Institute of Iranian Studies American School of Isfahan Community School, Tehran Damavand College Iran Bethel School Iranzamin School Saint Peter Church, Tehran Tehran American School "Bomb Iran" Overthrow Not for the Faint of Heart
Category

v t e Israel–United States relations
Diplomatic posts	Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of Israel to the United States Embassy of the United States, Jerusalem Ambassadors of the United States to Israel Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest Region Consuls general of Israel to the United States Tel Aviv Branch Office of the Embassy of the United States Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
Diplomacy	Rogers Plan Camp David Accords Egypt–Israel peace treaty Palestinian autonomy talks Strategic Cooperation Agreement May 17 Agreement Israel–United States Free Trade Agreement Oslo Accords Oslo I Accord Oslo II Accord Israel–Jordan peace treaty Wye River Memorandum 2000 Camp David Summit The Clinton Parameters Taba Summit Negroponte doctrine Road map for peace U.S.–Israel Joint Economic Development Group Annapolis Conference 2010–2011 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks John Kerry Parameters United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel February 2019 Warsaw Conference Trump peace plan Abraham Accords Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement Israel–Sudan normalization agreement Israel–Morocco normalization agreement Kosovo and Serbia economic normalization agreements Indo-Abrahamic Alliance I2U2 Group Negev Summit Israeli–Lebanese maritime border dispute 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
Incidents	Jack Parsons The Apollo Affair USS Liberty incident Lod Airport massacre Sami Esmail trial Lekem Jonathan Pollard Rachel Corrie 2004 Tashkent suicide bombings Steve J. Rosen Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal Ben-Ami Kadish Stewart Nozette Gaza Freedom Flotilla Gaza journey of MV Rachel Corrie Furkan Doğan United States diplomatic cables leak 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot Zivotofsky v. Clinton Zivotofsky v. Kerry Donald Trump's disclosures of classified information 2022 Erbil missile attacks Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell World Central Kitchen drone strikes Killing of Ayşenur Eygi Israeli retaliation leak
Military relations	Assassination of Imad Mughniyeh 2012 US–Israel military exercise Iran–Israel proxy conflict Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Arab–Israeli alliance Have Doughnut HAVE DRILL Joint Political Military Group Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Israeli procurement Major non-NATO ally Operation Joshua Operation Moses Operation Nickel Grass Operation Tipped Kettle Safari Club Stuxnet Terminal High Altitude Area Defense United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war 2023 exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners
Legislation	Lodge–Fish Resolution Jerusalem Embassy Act Kyl–Bingaman Amendment United States–Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 Israel Anti-Boycott Act Combating BDS Act
Related	Palestine–United States relations Israel lobby in the United States Anti-Israel lobby in the United States Opposition in the United States to the Israeli occupation Robert F. Kennedy's 1948 visit to Palestine American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights America-Israel Cultural Foundation America–Israel Friendship League American Healthcare Professionals and Friends for Medicine in Israel American Jewish Committee American Palestine Public Affairs Forum American Israel Public Affairs Committee American Task Force on Palestine Anti-Defamation League BlueStar PR BIRD Foundation Bust of Golda Meir Center for Middle East Policy Christians United for Israel Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Coordinating Council on Jerusalem Creative Community for Peace Council for the National Interest The David Project Democratic Majority for Israel Emergency Committee for Israel Hibur If Americans Knew Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies Institute for Middle East Understanding Israeli-American Council Israel on Campus Coalition Israel Policy Forum Israel Project J Street Jewish Council for Public Affairs Jewish Institute for National Security of America Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law Media Watch International Milstein Family Foundation NORPAC Project Interchange Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism StandWithUs United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation Zionist Organization of America Paul Findley Jerusalem American International School Walworth Barbour American International School 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza The Armageddon Network They Dare to Speak Out A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy The Occupation of the American Mind
Category:Israel–United States relations

v t e Saudi Arabia–United States relations
Diplomatic posts	Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to the United States Ambassadors of the United States to Saudi Arabia Quincy House Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
Diplomacy	Operation Hajji Baba United States Military Training Mission Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program Safari Club Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Arab–Israeli alliance U.S. support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen 2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal 2017 Riyadh summit International Maritime Security Construct Treaty of Jeddah (2023)
Incidents	1973 attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum US–Saudi Arabia AWACS Sale Saudi Arabia v. Nelson Khobar Towers bombing September 11 attacks Alleged Saudi role In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act Saudi Guantanamo Bay detainees Homaidan Al-Turki United States diplomatic cables leak 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot Jeff Bezos phone hacking incident Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting
Related	Golden gimmick Patricia Roush Saudi Aramco Saudi Arabia lobby in the United States Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee WWE in Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan Air Base King Abdulaziz Air Base King Khalid Military City King Khalid Military College American International School of Jeddah American International School – Riyadh Dhahran School ISG Dammam Islamic Saudi Academy King Abdullah Academy House of Bush, House of Saud
Category:Saudi Arabia–United States relations

• September 2011 events in the United States
• 2011 in Washington, D.C.
• Failed assassination attempts in the United States
• Failed terrorist attempts in the United States
• Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2011
• Diplomatic incidents
• Diplomatic immunity and protection
• Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
• Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
• Iran–United States relations
• Iran–Israel proxy conflict
• Israel–Saudi Arabia relations
• Israel–United States relations
• Saudi Arabia–United States relations
• Presidency of Barack Obama