Iran's Supreme Leader Calls U.S. Accusations Meaningless

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said U.S. accusations that two Iranians planned to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington were "meaningless."

Khamenei told a crowd in the western province of Kermanshah that the accusations were made to "present the Islamic Republic as a supporter of terrorism" but would not work.

Meanwhile, Washington has dismissed as untruthful Iranian claims that no direct contacts have taken place between the U.S. and Iran over the alleged Iranian-backed plot.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on October 14 insisted that U.S. officials had met with Iranian officials, saying that any denials by Iran that a meeting occurred "speaks again to how truthful they are about any of these sorts of matters."

compiled from agency reports