U.S. Issues a New Global Travel Warning Due to Terrorist Threats from Iran

The State Department issued a new travel warning due to the risks of a terrorist attack taking place anywhere in the world.

Today, the U.S. government alerted citizens around the world of possible terrorist attacks against American interests, one day after exposing an Iranian plot to murder the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington and attempt a crime against the Israeli embassy in the American capital city.

In the new global travel warning issued this early morning, the U.S. State Department said that the unsuccessful Iranian conspiracy could be an indicator of Tehran undertaking more aggressive terrorist activity, with possible attacks in the United States and in other countries.

“The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens of the potential for anti-U.S. actions following the disruption of a plot, linked to Iran, to commit a significant terrorist act in the United States,” the State Department said.

“The U.S. government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States,” added a communication quoted from CNN. The communication also stated that the global travel warning expires on Jan. 11, 2012.

Yesterday, the American authorities announced the prosecution of two people, one of them an Iranian citizen, for conspiring with a drug-trafficking cartel from Mexico to murder the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington, Adel al-Jubeir. CNN said that the cartel from Mexico is “Los Zetas,” but this information was not officially confirmed. The U.S. government said that the plan also included an attack against the Israeli embassy in Washington.

Iran firmly denied accusations, calling them a “ridiculous show” of mounted propaganda for United States and Israel. Last night, U.S. President Barack Obama qualified the failed plot as a flagrant violation of American and international laws, the White House said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that now that the plot was exposed, she is expecting countries that have not applied sanctions against Iran to review their position.

In a press conference, the FBI’s director, Robert Mueller, said that the plot, which included the possibility of killing the Saudi Arabian ambassador with a bomb in a restaurant of Washington frequented by legislators, sounded like a Hollywood movie.

Now, there are charges against Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized American citizen with an Iranian passport, and Gholam Shakuri, who was identified as a member of the special Iranian force Al Quds, from the Revolutionary Guards operating from Iran.

Arbabsiar was arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport on Sept. 29; he appeared in court yesterday. It is said that he will remain in custody until prosecution is initiated on Oct. 25. Shakuri remains a fugitive, apparently in Iran.

*Editor’s Note: The quotations in this article, accurately translated, could not be verified.