Iran Denies US Accusations
Iran denies U.S. allegations that the Islamic Republic was involved in a plot to assassinate a Saudi ambassador, calling the accusations “shameful.”
ISNA reports that Mohammad Khazai, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling the accusations “a political move and a sign of U.S. vengefulness” against the Iranian people.
The United States has accused the Islamic Republic of using the international branch of the Revolutionary Guards, known as the Quds Guards, to arrange the assassination of Adel Al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.
The Americans allege that Mansour Arbab Sayyar, Gholam Shakouri, Hamed Abdolahi and Abdolreza Shahlayi were involved in the plot.
Mansour Arbab Sayyar, who also carries U.S. citizenship, was arrested on September 29 at Kennedy Airport in New York. The Americans maintain that the other three suspects are currently in Iran.
Khazai writes: “Any country can accuse another with such fabricated stories.”
He adds: “The Islamic Republic warns against the outcomes of such dangerous scenarios and believes that persistence in such divisive policies will have serious effects on peace and security.”
The Iranian representative goes on to urge the UN to sound a global alarm about the effects of “[W]armongering U.S. policies on international peace and security.”
Washington’s accusations have been denied by Ali Larijani, the head of Parliament, and Ramin Mehmanparast, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Hours before U.S. intelligence officials revealed the alleged Iranian involvement in the assassination plot, official media in Iran had announced that “the U.S. government is busy plotting new scenarios against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Saudi Arabia has also reacted to the news by condemning Iran and announcing that it will take serious steps to counter the “great conspiracy against Saudi Arabia.”
