The Justice Department says it has disrupted an Iranian government plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

Attorney General Eric Holder says two people have been charged in New York and one has admitted his role in the plot. Holder says the plot represents a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law. He says the U.S. is committed to holding Iran accountable.

FBI Director Robert Mueller says many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador with bombs in the U.S.