Secretary of State Hilary Clinton speaks.

Yesterday, the Obama administration accused the Iranian government of plotting a terrorist attack aiming to murder Saudi diplomat Adel Al Jubeirm, who is based in Washington D.C. The U.S. government stated that the Iranian army’s special-unit, the Quds Force, was in talks with a member of a Mexican drug cartel to commit the assassination.

But many experts agree the alleged plot seems awfully ameuter for both the Quds Force and out of character for the Iranian regime.

Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, called the Justice Department's claims a "childish game,” according to the CBS News and the Associated Press.

“We have normal relations with the Saudis," he said. "There is no reason for Iran to carry out such childish acts."

Criticism has also fallen on the administration’s accusations in the U.S.

Regional experts note that the Iranian government’s secret operations have been much more sophisticated historically, and that the Iran has never attempted an attack on U.S. soil. The use of a member of the Mexican drug cartel also seems uncharacteristic, as the Quds Forces would have supposedly used Hezbollah forces for such an operation.

Furthermore, a member of the Quds Force was allegedly involved; however, Iran typically does not use its citizens in political murder operations.

"There are very few groups operationally better than Iran’s Quds Force. They know what they are doing. The only proxies they use are ones they’ve vetted. They don’t let their own citizens get involved,” said Former CIA operative Bob Baer to CNN.

With the accusations seemingly groundless, speculation turns to who was actually behind the plot.
 
Time Magazine proposes two possible explanations: First, the Iranian government has lost control of its internal functions and rogues are plotting against foreign diplomats unbeknownst to the central government. Second, adversaries of Iran may have released the plot in order to frame Iran and challenge U.S.-Iran relations.

Regardless of the controversial nature of the accusations, the Obama Administration has taken a firm stance in response to the alleged plot.

"This plot, very fortunately disrupted by the excellent work of our law enforcements and intelligence professionals, was 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," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier today.

The administration is contacting governments around the world in order to increase their pressure on Iran. The U.S. urges tighter enforcement of U.N. sanctions on Iran. If the plot was indeed planned by Iran, the operations would be considered an act of war.

 “But at a minimum both the public and the Congress should demand more detailed evidence before taking any rash or irreversible action. If Iran is really as stupid and as incompetent as this case implies, then perhaps they are their own worst enemy and not the clever and determined adversary that they are made out to be,” said Gary Sick, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute according to a report by CNN.