“In taking this decision, France underlines its determination to fight against terrorism in all its forms, particularly on its own territory,” read a joint statement from France’s interior, foreign, and economy ministers announcing they had frozen the assets of two Iranians and Iran’s intelligence ministry.
French security officials say there is no doubt that Iran was behind a planned attack on the opposition group Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) during their annual conference last June.
MEK, a named terrorist organization in Iran, is an exiled opposition party whose members are mainly stationed in Europe such in France, and the United States. The party advocates for a regime change in Iran.
It held its annual conference in Paris in June, drawing speakers like US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
After the event, Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat posted to Vienna was arrested by police in Germany. He was among six people detained across Belgium, France, and Germany over an alleged bomb plot on the conference.
“Behind all this was a long, meticulous and detailed investigation by our services that enabled us to reach the conclusion, without any doubt, that responsibility fell on the intelligence ministry,” a French diplomatic source told Reuters on Tuesday.
The source said the attack was ordered by Saeid Hashemi Moghadam, Iran’s director general of intelligence.
Rejecting the allegations that Tehran was involved in the alleged attack, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned that France’s actions could damage relations between their countries, both of whom are signatories of the Iranian nuclear deal.
The “whole scenario is a conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the good and growing relations between Iran and Europe, and is in line with the objectives of the US and Israeli regime and managed by a terrorist group residing in France, “ said spokesperson Bahram Qassemi in a statement published on the ministry’s website.
A German court said on Monday it has approved the extradition of Assadi to Belgium.
Iran is accused of being behind many assassinations abroad, including of Kurdish opposition leaders.
from Rudaw https://ift.tt/2zMUDgI
via Defense News
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