Some U.S. officials question response to Iran plot | Reuters:
 Still, one senior U.S. official said, "There shouldn't be skeptics."
"You can say: 'Why the hell would anyone be so stupid?' That's fair game. But you can't translate that into innocence."

The U.S. is doing their best to make this alleged plot "stick" to the highest level in the Iranian government - to the Ayatollah. But another round of leaky sanctions, which Iran has been able to skirt around for years, is not going to make any difference as an actual deterrent.

Leaky Sanctions - Investors.com (Aug 9, 2010)
[Obama] has not succeeded in using his charm to convince the world to stand together against Tehran; there is no economic warfare — concerted or unilateral — taking place against the regime, and certainly no real pressure to force the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stop its nuclear program and end its support of terrorism. So much for "the Obama Doctrine" of multilateralism and engagement.