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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/those-keystone-iranians/2011/10/12/gIQAlixDgL_story.html
Why Would the Iranians Undertake Such a Risky Operation?
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - If the Iranians planned to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington, why would they delegate the job to Mansour Arbabsiar, an Iranian American former used-car dealer, and a hit team drawn from a Mexican drug cartel? But over months, officials at the White House and the Justice Department became convinced the plan was real, as the CIA and other intelligence agencies gathered information corroborating the informant's allegations and showing that the plot had support from the top leadership of Iran's Quds Force. It was this intelligence collected in Iran - not tips from someone inside the Mexican drug mafia - that led the Treasury Department to impose sanctions Tuesday on four senior members of the Quds Force who were connected to the plot - Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and three deputies.