The Saudis are claiming to have arrested the “mastermind” of the Khobar Towers bombing, the 1996 terror attack that killed 19 Americans. Please note the key phrase in the New York Times report of the arrest:

Saudi Arabia has arrested the accused mastermind of a 1996 bombing that killed 19 American military personnel, a Saudi-owned pan-Arab newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed officials.
The suspect, Ahmed al-Mughassil, was identified in an American federal indictment as a senior leader of an Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah al-Hijaz, that sought to kill American military personnel in the Persian Gulf.

And:

Mr. Mughassil is believed to have been living in Beirut since the attack, under the protection of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group. The newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, reported that he had been arrested in Beirut and handed over to the Saudi authorities; it gave no further explanation.

Yes, “Iranian-backed.” We are on the verge of granting Iran the world’s largest jihadist stimulus package in the form of a ”deal” that not only lifts sanctions but also grants Iran access to international arms markets, and we’re reminded once again that Iran is our enemy. Moreover, its sins do not lie only the past. Hezbollah has been sheltering a wanted terrorist for almost two full decades. Had Iran sought any kind of meaningful peace with the U.S., they could have forced Hezbollah to hand over al-Mughassil at any time. It chose not to. The timing for the Obama administration is . . . awkward:

Mr. Mughassil’s arrest, nearly two decades after the bombing, was a vivid reminder of the longstanding animosity between the United States and Iran at a time when the Obama administration is seeking congressional approval of an agreement to lift international economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.

In fact, the timing is so awkward that one wonders if the Saudis — who oppose the Iran deal — didn’t orchestrate the arrest for maximum effect, to remind the world that Iran has American blood on its hands. I trust neither the Saudis nor the Iranians, but this arrest is still a much-needed win in our long war against jihadists, and if that win also helps clarify the nature of the Iranian regime, then so much the better.