American Morning
Iran claims to have shot down American drone
Iran's military claims that it shot down a U.S. drone in the eastern region of the country yesterday. State media cited a military official who identified the aircraft as an RQ-170 Sentinel and the country has promised an aggressive response to the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to attempt to contain the international reaction to the storming of the British embassy last week. The Iranians have warned Washington not to block their oil exports – a move they say would more than double the price of crude.
Christine Romans talks with Jim Arkedis, director of the Progressive Policy Institute's National Security project, on American Morning today to discuss how these incidents will impact relations between the U.S. and Iran.
Global implications for the foiled Iranian terror plot
U.S. agents disrupted an Iranian "murder-for-hire" scheme targeting Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. on Tuesday. Attorney General Eric Holder said the alleged plan was directed by elements of the Iranian government, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saying this "is a fabrication." Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of a conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, the FBI said Tuesday.
The Saudi ambassador was not the only intended target, U.S. officials said. The suspects also discussed attacking Israeli and Saudi embassies in Washington and possibly Buenos Aires, Argentina, a senior U.S. official said. It is unclear why the Saudi ambassador was targeted, the official said, or how widespread knowledge or approval of the plot was within Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.
CNN Natl. Security Contributor Fran Townsend assesses the threat level for Americans working oversees – and here at home.
Former CIA official on the viability of an Iranian terror plot
U.S. agents disrupted an Iranian "murder-for-hire" scheme targeting Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. on Tuesday. Attorney General Eric Holder said the alleged plan was directed by elements of the Iranian government, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saying this "is a fabrication." Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Ali Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of a conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, the FBI said Tuesday.
The Saudi ambassador was not the only intended target, U.S. officials said. The suspects also discussed attacking Israeli and Saudi embassies in Washington and possibly Buenos Aires, Argentina, a senior U.S. official said. It is unclear why the Saudi ambassador was targeted, the official said, or how widespread knowledge or approval of the plot was within Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.
This mornign on American Morning, Ali Velshi talks with Chad Sweet, a former CIA official, who explained the significance of this intelligence feat – and why the United States might not be so lucky in the future.
Nicholas Kristof discusses his interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof was the only print journalist to interview Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at this year's United Nations General Assembly.
Kristof spoke with Ahmadinejad just hours before the release of two American hikers from Iranian custody, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, and he describes the interview as calm, and conciliatory, with moments of tension.
Today on American Morning, Christine Romans sits down with Kristof to discuss what Ahmadinejad said about the hikers' release, Iran's relationship with the U.S., and recent protests in Syria.
Sarah Shourd’s life after release
(CNN) – American hiker Sarah Shourd is free, but her fiancé, Shane Bauer, and friend, Josh Fattal, are still being held in an Iranian prison. The three Americans were detained after they allegedly strayed across an unmarked border into Iran while hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region in July 2009. Iran accused the three of spying, a charge the United States and the hikers have denied. An Iranian prosecutor said Wednesday a trial will commence soon. Journalist Roxana Saberi spent 100 days in the same, notorious prison before she was finally released last year. She joined us on Thursday’s American Morning to help us understand what the three Americans are going through.
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