US accused of sowing discord between Iran and Arab states
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail
Xinhua, October 19, 2011
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Tuesday that Washington's "evil scenario" is intended to tarnish Iran's ties with its Arab neighbors, the local satellite Press TV reported.
Salehi made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with ambassadors and representatives of international organizations in Tehran referring to the U.S. recent allegations that Iran is involved in a plot to kill Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel Al- Jubeir.
The Iranian foreign minister strongly condemned the political moves by U.S. officials to level allegations against Iran "based on suspicious remarks by an individual whose real identity has not been disclosed," said the report.
He said that Washington's "scenario" is intended to prop up the unsuccessful coalition of certain Western states to impose illegal sanctions on Iran and to help Washington regain its "lost" position in the sensitive Middle East region, according to Press TV.
Salehi said that other countries should adopt a tactful position and refrain from taking a hasty stance on the issue.
He further cautioned the international community to remain vigilant in the face of such "baseless allegations" which threaten global order, peace and security.
Salehi emphasized that regional and international stability have always been a top priority in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic as the country has been a victim of terrorism itself.
No country will benefit from such a scenario, he said, adding that the U.S. has refused permission for even a consular access to legal documents despite two cases of official demands by Iran.
Salehi said Monday that Iran asked the United States to submit any information related to their claims of plot, adding that Iran is ready to examine the evidences, even if fabricated, "seriously and patiently."
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the country's inclination to examine the U.S. evidences on the alleged assassination plot does not mean a withdrawal from Tehran's stance that it was a plot against the Islamic Republic.
Iran's stance has not changed and Tehran still believes that the allegations was a U.S. plot against the country, Mehmanparast said Tuesday in his weekly press briefing.
He said that the U.S. accusation against Iran are aimed at deviating U.S. public opinion from the problems that U.S. is facing inside and outside the country.
Iran will use all the means possible to restore Iranians' rights and to prove the allegations fabricated, he added.
The U.S. State Department on Monday urged Iran to either hand over or prosecute a suspect in the alleged assassination plot on the Saudi ambassador in America.
"According to the International Convention on Protected Persons, Iran's government has a choice either to extradite this person, this individual, or submit the case for prosecution on its own," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in a regular briefing.
The comment came after the United States said last Tuesday that Manssor Arbabsayar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were charged with sponsoring and promoting terrorist activities abroad, including a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Arbabsayar was arrested by the U.S. authorities, while Shakuri remains in Iran.
The high-profile accusations have brought fresh tensions to relations between the two arch foes, with Iran fiercely denying such charges.
