Attempted Attack on an Opponent: Denmark’s Emphasis and Iran’s Denial
While Danish officials accuse Iran of attempting to assassinate a member of opposition groups to the Islamic Republic in Denmark, Iranian authorities have denied the matter, saying that such issues are being fabricated to “create mistrust and tension between Iran and Europe.”
Mahmoud Vaezi, head of Hassan Rouhani’s office, referring to the fact that Iran’s president “immediately” ordered an investigation into the matter after the news was published, said such an issue is “highly suspicious,” because according to him, on the eve of November 4th and the implementation of the second round of American sanctions against Iran, some are seeking to “change the atmosphere” and create “disruption” in talks between Iran and Europe over the JCPOA.
Rouhani’s chief of staff added that once the investigations are completed and reviewed, their results will be announced.
Simultaneously, Bahram Qassemi, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, also said that Europe currently needs “greater vigilance, precision, and awareness regarding the measures of those hostile to relations between us.”
Denmark on Tuesday accused Iran of seeking to attack the leader of a separatist group (the Al-Ahwaz Movement) living in the country. The head of Denmark’s security and intelligence organization announced the arrest of an Iranian-Norwegian in this regard. Denmark’s foreign minister said the country will discuss this with the European Union and called for sanctions against Iran for this reason.
Denmark also announced that it is recalling its ambassador from Tehran. According to Iranian media reports, Denmark’s ambassador went to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday before leaving Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry protested against “the hasty political and media reactions of some Danish officials” during this meeting.
In another development, a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 10 television wrote, citing a source in that country, that Mossad, Israel’s security organization, provided this information to Denmark.
Simultaneously, Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador in London, referring to the fact that the European Union should be “vigilant,” wrote that accusations related to Iran’s involvement were planned “in a strange manner.”
“Lars Løke Rasmussen,” Denmark’s prime minister, wrote on his Twitter account on Tuesday, November 8th: “It is absolutely unacceptable that Iran or any other foreign government plans to carry out assassinations on Danish soil.”
Previously, the U.S. Secretary of State thanked the Danish government for arresting this individual and wrote on his Twitter page: “We commend the Danish government for the arrest of an assassin of the Iranian regime.”
This is the second time in recent months that Iran’s intelligence and security agencies have been accused of being involved in a plan to attack or assassinate their opponents. A few months ago, the Islamic Republic was accused of planning a bombing at the Mujahedin-e Khalq organization’s conference in Paris. Iran denied this accusation, but several people were arrested on charges of involvement in this attack. Among those arrested is one of Iran’s diplomats in Austria who was accused of providing explosives to a couple.
Source: Voice of America
