The United States urged the world to take action against Iran on Wednesday as European and Gulf nations condemned Tehran over the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi envoy in Washington. As US diplomats began consultations behind closed doors at the United Nations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intensified her calls for action, labeling the plot a “dangerous escalation.” It is “a flagrant violation of international and US law and a dangerous escalation of the Iranian government's long-standing use of political violence and sponsorship of terrorism,” Clinton said. “Iran must be held accountable for its actions,” she said. The US authorities have named two suspects: Manssor Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman from Texas who is Iranian but also a naturalized US citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, said to be an Iran-based member of the Quds Force. Shakuri is believed to be in Iran, while Arbabsiar, 56, was arrested on Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy airport and appeared in court Tuesday in Manhattan. His lawyer said he would plead not guilty, if charged. France and Britain agreed to back US demands at the United Nations. But criticism was notably muted from Russia, whose UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin called the case “rather bizarre.” Fellow veto-wielding Security Council member China has yet to comment on the matter. The Pentagon played down any notion that the US might be considering military action.
