Iran denies alleged assassination plot
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China.org.cn, October 13, 2011
Iranian officials on Wednesday slamed the U.S. allegations that the Iran had plotted to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
![Manssor Arbabsayar, one of the suspects charged with plotting assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States [File photo]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111013/000cf1bdd03f1000909e20.jpg "Manssor Arbabsayar, one of the suspects charged with plotting assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States [File photo]") |
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Manssor Arbabsayar, one of the suspects charged with plotting assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States [File photo] |
"Iran strongly denies the untrue and baseless allegations over a plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington," the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency quoted the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying.
The U.S. accusations are "incorrect" and "prefabricated scenario," Mehmanparast said.
Such allegations are "ridiculous shows" that aimed at sowing discord among the regional countries, the spokesman said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said said on the sideline of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the new anti-Iran scenario initiated by the United States is "clumsy," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Washington will be compelled to apologize to Tehran for its "unfounded allegation" against Iran, Salehi said. "Our friends in the Persian Gulf region are familiar with these devilish conspiracies."
"We enjoy good ties with Saudi Arabia," Salehi, adding that the best response is disregarding and ignoring such allegations.
On Tuesday, the U.S. authorities said that two men, Manssor Arbabsayar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen holding both the Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iranian citizen, were charged with plotting terrorist activities abroad, including a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
The United States has "acted immaturely in its latest childish game against Iran," Speaker of Iran's Majlis ( parliament) Ali Larijani was quoted by the state IRIB TV as saying on Wednesday.
"The United States is to hide its internal problems by putting forward baseless claims through massive media coverage against Iran," Larijani said
The United State wants to create crises for regional states in order to divert poeple's attentions from its economic problems, he said.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi deplored the U.S. allegations regarding Tehran's involvement in the plot and described the "unfounded claims" as part of a new "propaganda scenario" against Tehran.
