Ahmadinejad Says Claims About Iranian Plot A U.S. Lie

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said U.S. allegations of an Iranian assassination plot resembled the claims about weapons of mass destruction that formed the basis for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and would prove to be equally untrue.

Ahmadinejad, in an interview on al-Jazeera television on October 17, said Washington had fabricated the plot of an Iranian seeking to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington in order to create divisions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and dominate the Gulf region.

Two men have been charged in a U.S. federal court in the alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington. One of the suspects, an Iranian-American, is in U.S. custody, the other one is a high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guards official.

Ahmadinejad said the United States was accusing Iran of involvement in the plot to strengthen international sanctions against Tehran. He said Iran will not investigate the U.S. allegations.

Britain today froze the assets of five men, including the two main suspects, over their suspected links to the alleged plot.

compiled from agency reports