Egypt's President-Elect To Sue Iranian Agency Over 'Fabricated' Interview

A screen grab of the Fars page containing the purported interview with Morsi

The office of Egyptian President-elect Muhammad Morsi says it will file a lawsuit against Iran's Fars news agency for fabricating an interview with Morsi after the announcement of his victory.

In the purported interview, which Fars published this week, Morsi was quoted as saying he wants to improve ties between Egypt and Iran.

READ Persian Letters blogger Golnaz Esfandiari's take on the Morsi interview controversy

Morsi's spokesman, Yasser Ali, says the president-elect "was never interviewed" by the Iranian agency and that the interview was "fabricated."

Iran has hailed the election of Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in Egypt's recent election, as an "Islamic awakening."

Iran and Egypt had strained relations during the 30-year regime of ousted Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak, in part due to Egypt's landmark peace deal with Iranian rival Israel.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP