Rep. King: Iran's U.N. reps are mostly spies

Rep. Peter King, D-N.Y., in July, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. / AP Photo

WASHINGTON - New York Congressman Peter King says the U.S. should kick out Iranian officials at the U.N. in New York and in Washington because many of them are spies.

Speaking at a hearing Wednesday, the Democrat says such a move would send a clear signal after the recent alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

The U.S. and Iran have no diplomatic relations and thus there are no Iranian diplomats in the U.S. except those attached to the U.N. mission in New York. Iran maintains a fulltime U.N. ambassador and a staff there. Although those diplomats are allowed to live in the U.S. for that purpose, the U.N. is an independent international body and the U.S. cannot simply kick out diplomats accredited there en masse.

While the chances of kicking out Iranian diplomats to the U.N. are unlikely at best, that didn't stop the lawmaker from piling on the Islamic republic over the alleged assassination plot.

"So you have the assassination of a foreign ambassador, you have the willingness to kill hundreds of Americans -- this is an act of war," King said, according to Radio Free Europe. "I don't think we can just do business as usual or even carry out sanctions as usual."

Another Democrat at the hearing, Miss. Rep. Bennie Thompson, offered a more measured approach to the situation.

Thompson said: "We must not overstate nor overreact to the threat we currently face from Iran."

[tvwatcher5345]

this is coming from rep king, who has refused to denounce the terrorist organization the IRA, he should be waterboarded to see how much involvement he may have with these terrorists

[stn_sage]

This is ONE thing King is probably correct about!
But, you know what?!
Every country has reps at the U.N. & in their embassy that are SPIES!
This is STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE!
So, why is King getting indignant about it? The USA does it, too!
A better suggestion, is for the USA to get OUT of the U.N.!
In the final analysis, most of what it does is harmful to both the environment and peoples of the world!
It is a harbinger of death and destruction! In spite of the public relations spin about how it's supposed to promote peace...it's done nothing but the opposite since it's inception!
And, it's cost the U.S. money we can no longer afford to waste!

[ConstantineAtticus]

I really fear for the future of The USA when you have ignorant , bigoted idiots like Peter King part of the congressional oversight process. Are the american public that dumb?

[random_radar]

Does King see a terrorist behind every tree? McCarthyism at its finest.

[mbintampa]

Peter King is not a Democrat.

He is a well known right wing Republican.

He has never been a Democrat.

Your article refers to him being a Democrat at least on two occasion.

Therefore, nothing in this article can be trusted as factual, when such a commonly known fact is misrepresented.

[p_syrus]

This is news?

Hey Peter, how many u.s. diplomats work for the cia?