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Iran Slams US Arms Allegations as Unfounded
Iran on Monday dismissed as unfounded the United States' allegations that Tehran is developing weapons of mass destruction, accusing the US of interfering in all affairs.
"This is an incorrect behavior that the United States allows herself to interfere in all affairs," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said at a press conference.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell described Iran as "a dangerous regime" which is developing weapons of mass destruction.
He told a Senate subcommittee hearing that "these two regimes, Iraq and Iran, are dangerous ...(and) are out of step with the way the world is going." The two should remain under unilateral sanctions, he said.
Reacting to Powell's remarks, Asefi noted that "These accusations are groundless because Iran's military capacity is peaceful, defensive and threatens no regional country."
Washington has launched a "new campaign aimed at diverting public opinion in the region from important issues such as Palestine," he said, adding that the US remarks were "completely inappropriate because the United States supports the Zionist regime, which is the principal threat in the region."
Instead of leveling groundless charges against Iran, the US should try to reform its behavior in conformity with the international law and stop supporting the Tel-Aviv regime, the spokesman said.
The US has been critical of the human rights situation in Iran and imposed sanctions on it since the two countries severed relations in 1979 after the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by young Muslim students.
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