US sanctions five over Saudi ambassador plot

WASHINGTON—The US Treasury Department on Tuesday announced measures against five individuals allegedly connected to a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

The five include Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri, two men charged by the Justice Department with the alleged plot to kill ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir on American soil.

Three other men — Abdul Reza Shahlai, Qasem Soleimani and Hamed Abdollahi — were also named as being linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force plot.

Shahlai and Soleimani had been named in previous sanctions and so were already subject to an assets freeze and travel ban.

The announcement came swiftly after the existence of the alleged plot was made public Tuesday.

“Iran once again has used the Qods Force and the international financial system to pursue an act of international terrorism, this time aimed against a Saudi diplomat,” said David Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

“The financial transactions at the heart of this plot lay bare the risk that banks and other institutions face in doing business with Iran.”