Be vigilant about U.S. policy of lies, Iran urges world

TEHRAN, Nov. 8 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called on other countries to be on their guard against the United States’ policy of spreading lies about Iran. Salehi made the remarks during a speech at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Monday in reference to U.S. officials’ claim that they recently thwarted a plot by two men linked to Iran’s security agencies to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir. The foreign minister strongly criticized Washington for making such allegations against the Islamic Republic and said, “Tehran condemns any terrorist action and terrorism in all its forms, and dissociates itself from the accusations.” “It is necessary to remain vigilant in the face of the U.S. government’s spreading of lies which is meant to divert attention from its own problems and create discord among countries,” Salehi stated. He added Iran believes “tackling this evil phenomenon (terrorism) requires comprehensive international cooperation, refraining from adopting selective and double-standard approaches, identifying the roots of terrorism, and making great efforts to root it out.” Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi commented on the pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and said that the will of the people cannot be suppressed. The foreign minister also said unilateral military actions against countries will increase insecurity, and that Iran condemns any threat of military action against independent countries. Salehi also held talks with Putin on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.