TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran demanded consular access on Sunday to a man held in the United States over a suspected plot to kill the Saudi ambassador and vowed to respond robustly to any “inappropriate measure” by the West.
Manssor Arbabsiar, who holds U.S. and Iranian citizenship, was arrested in September over the plot which Tehran called a fabricated “comedy show” but which U.S. lawmakers said was “very real” and showed the need for tougher sanctions on Iran.
“Any inappropriate measure against Iran, whether political or security-related, will be strongly confronted by the Iranian nation,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, accusing Washington of inventing the plot to divert attention from the “Occupy Wall Street” protests.
