PROVOCATION

U.S.: Iran Stirred Quran Violence

Worries about ability to stir unrest.

American officials say Iranian agents tried to fan the violence that broke out after news of copies of the Quran being burned at a U.S. base in Afghanistan. Most of the protests ended, though several people were killed, but they raised concerns about Iran's ability to cause unrest in the region, and what the country might do if Israel strikes its nuclear facilities. However, the U.S. intelligence community is currently divided over how skilled Iran's provocateurs are. Referring to Iranian plans to assassinate Israeli ambassadors, a U.S. official tells The New York Times, “The attacks failed, so clearly there are kinks in Iran’s planning and tradecraft.”