U.S. Director of National Intelligence, James. R. Clapper Jr. Photo: wiki commons.

In remarks on Tuesday morning to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr. said that a recent Iranian backed plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington D.C. indicates Iranian officials may target the United States with terrorist attacks in the future.

The assassination attempt “shows that some Iranian officials – probably including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei  – have changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime,” Clapper told the Senate Committee.

Clapper also told the committee that the U.S. is trying to use as many economic sanctions as possible to deter the Iranian government from continuing it’s nuclear program, while also speaking with the Israelis regarding a unilateral strike from Jerusalem.

“Obviously this is a very sensitive issue right now. We’re doing a lot with the Israelis.”