Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, said here Tuesday that there was “ample and heinous” evidence that Iran was behind an alleged plot to kill the current Saudi envoy to Washington. Prince Turki, Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the US and the UK, said in a speech at the National Press Club, that if Tehran failed to prosecute Iranians linked to the plot, Riyadh may take the case to the United Nations. “We have seen ample and heinous evidence in the uncovering of an assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to the United States,” he said, adding the evidence “indicates the depths of depravity and unreason to which the Ahmadinejad regime has sunk. Fortunately, this plot was foiled.” Prince Turki called the plot “the tip of the iceberg,” saying Iran was “meddling” in the affairs of many other countries, including Lebanon, Turkey, Pakistan and especially Iraq. He, however, said that military action would only stiffen Iran's resolve, rally support for the regime and at best delay, but not halt, the nuclear program. “Such an act I think would be foolish, and to undertake it I think would be tragic,” he said. “An attack on Iran I think will have catastrophic consequences,” the prince said, citing both human costs and the fact that “the retaliation by Iran will be worldwide.” “It will include a lot of US and other interests throughout the world ...they can do harm in a lot of places,” he said. The prince said that while Saudi Arabia did not favor a military option, it would continue to press Iran publicly, including possibly at the United Nations, in hopes of heading off future threats. “We fully support tightening of the sanctions, assertive diplomacy and concerted action via the United Nations,” he said.
