Obama targets Tehran over assassination plot

The US says it will make sure Iranian officials are held accountable for "reckless behaviour" in what President Barack Obama said was a direct role in an alleged assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador in the US.

Amid doubt over the claims in some quarters, Mr Obama said the US will be able to support all of its allegations of Iranian involvement. "Those facts are there for all to see," he told a news conference. The State Department said the US has had "direct contact" with Iran about the incident.

Two men, including a member of Iran's Quds Force special foreign actions unit, were charged in New York on Tuesday with conspiring to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US, Abel al-Jubeir, at a Washington restaurant. Iran has denied any involvement.