Alleged Iran plot dangerous escalation: Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Irans alleged ties to a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington marked a “dangerous escalation” of Tehran’s sponsorship of terrorism.“This plot, very fortunately disrupted by the excellent work of our law enforcement and intelligence professionals, was a flagrant violation of international and US law and a dangerous escalation of the Iranian government’s longstanding use of political violence and sponsorship of terrorism,” Clinton told a think tank audience in Washington.Clinton said Iran’s alleged part in the conspiracy, which was revealed by US law enforcement officials on Tuesday, showed Tehran was willing to flout established international conventions on protecting diplomats that it itself had signed.Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday Iran would “pay the price” for the alleged plot, while Tehran called the accusation a fabrication designed to sow discord in the region already on edge over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.