TEHRAN -- Iran’s Foreign Ministry dismissed on Friday the recent accusations from Western countries alleging Tehran’s involvement with international criminal groups in assassination attempts abroad as “baseless and ridiculous.”
Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the joint statement issued Thursday by the United States, Canada, and a group of European nations, describing it as a “blatant blame game” intended to divert attention from the “Israeli genocide” in occupied Palestine.
“The United States, France, and other signatories must themselves be held accountable for violating international law by supporting and hosting terrorist groups,” Baghaei said, referencing recent U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran in June and the ongoing violence in Gaza.
He characterized the accusations as “blatant lies” and part of a “malicious Iranophobia campaign” designed to pressure the Iranian nation, urging the 14 countries involved — Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US — to answer for “disgraceful and irresponsible” conduct violating the United Nations Charter.
The Western nations claimed in their joint statement that Iranian intelligence agencies are attempting to “kill, kidnap, and harass” individuals in Europe and North America, allegations Tehran firmly rejects.