(MENAFN- Live Mint) Iran rejected its involvement in the alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump and other US officials. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei termed the allegations "completely unfounded". Baghaei was quoted by Iranian media as saying that the claim that Iran tried to assassinate American officials“is a plot hatched by the Zionist parties.”

Iranian official's statement came after the US Justice Department disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Donald Trump on Friday. The Department also charged a man who said he had been tasked by a government official before this week's election with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect.

Also Read | Donald Trump warned of 'real, specific' Iran assassination threats: Campaign

In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected accusations made by the US Department of Justice "after the arrest of a suspect," Iranian media reported.

Baghaei referred to previous "similar accusations" denied by Iran, which he described as a "repulsive conspiracy" orchestrated by Israel and anti-Iranian factions“to further complicate matters between the US and Iran," reported Anadolu Ajansı, a state-run news agency headquartered in Turkey.

Also Read | US Presidential Polls: Trump recalls assassination bid after claiming victory

According to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA ), Baghaei dismissed allegations as a "disgusting conspiracy" and "completely baseless". He emphasised that the Islamic Republic of Iran will use "all legitimate and legal means, both domestically and internationally, to defend the rights of the Iranian nation."

What did US allege?

The Justice Department said the foiled assassination plot on Donald Trump was allegedly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to avenge the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US strike ordered by then-president Trump.

Also Read | Donald Trump says 'God saved me for a purpose'. Find out why

Farhad Shakeri, 51, an Afghan national who is believed to be in Iran, was "tasked" by the IRGC with providing a plan to kill Trump, the department said in a statement. The US Justice Department described suspect Shakeri as an "IRGC asset residing in Tehran."

Meanwhile, Shakeri told the FBI he was approached by an IRGC official in September about organising the assassination of Trump, AFP reported.

Also Read | Man with loaded gun arrested near Donald Trump's Coachella rally

Shakeri and two other men, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, both of New York, were charged separately with plotting to kill an Iranian-American dissident in New York. Rivera and Loadholt are both in US custody and made a court appearance in New York on Thursday.

"The charges announced today expose Iran's continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran," FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

The allegation came days after Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in November 5 US presidential election

MENAFN09112024007365015876ID1108868069