When I first heard that Iran was being accused of attempting to assassinate a Saudi diplomat on US soil, I immediately thought of the Letelier case. I thought everybody would jump on this comparison, but nobody did. To recap: in 1976, Pinochet had Orlando Letelier, Allende’s ambassador to the United States, murdered in Washington DC. It was a particularly nasty car bomb on Sheridan circle, an area I pass daily. The repercussions for Chile and the Pinochet government? None. Pinochet was still received warmly by US governments. Keep that in mind when the inevitable calls to “hold Iran responsible” come through.
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