Iran Dismisses Mattis's Remarks on Attempt to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador as 'Fabricated'

On Tuesday, June 9, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis's remarks regarding Tehran's alleged attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, calling them 'fabricated.' In an interview with CBS on June 6, Mattis stated, 'Iran and the Revolutionary Guard's fingerprints can be seen wherever there is chaos and violence, from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, or attempts to destabilize the Bahraini government.' This statement drew a response from Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, who said, 'The accusations mentioned by the U.S. Secretary of Defense regarding the assassination of an Arab ambassador in Washington by Iran are a baseless and fabricated scenario that, after several years, has become increasingly clear to global public opinion for its Hollywood-like nature.' Qasemi linked Mattis's comments to the $110 billion arms deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, adding, 'He should have responded to the extravagant spending of Saudi officials during the American delegation's visit.' Qasemi also accused the United States of implementing 'divisive policies among Muslim countries in the region' to, as he put it, 'plunder the region's resources through the sale of weapons by creating fabricated and false threats.' In his interview, Mattis referenced 'Iran's unsuccessful attempt in 2011 to assassinate the then Saudi ambassador in Washington,' claiming he had 'access to classified documents indicating this action was not by a rogue agent but rather an operation approved by individuals at high decision-making levels.' In October 2011, U.S. intelligence managed to arrest Mansour Arbabsiar, an Iranian-American, for attempting to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir, the then Saudi ambassador in Washington. Arbabsiar was accused of contacting drug traffickers in Mexico to carry out the assassination, unaware that one of the traffickers was an undercover U.S. agent. During interrogations, Arbabsiar confessed to the charges. However, Iran denied any attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, deeming him an 'innocent' individual caught in the 'Iranophobia' project. According to ISNA, Abbas Araghchi, the then spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, claimed that Mansour Arbabsiar was held in 'inhumane and unbearable solitary confinement,' thus rendering his confessions legally invalid. The U.S., Canada, and the European Union sanctioned four others in connection with this assassination plot, including Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, and senior Quds Force officers Gholam Shakouri, Abdul Reza Shahlai, and Hamed Abdollahi. A few days ago, U.S. President Donald Trump, during his first visit to Israel, stated that the Iranian government poses a threat to the entire region, asserting, 'Iran's footprint can be seen in the region; Iran intervenes through both military deployment and money and weapons.'