Iran rejects US claim it 'continues to sponsor global terror'

Iran rejected Saturday US claims that it was a sponsor of global terror attacks, saying instead it is a victim of terrorism.

On Friday, the US State Department said the Islamic Republic "continued to sponsor global terror" attacks last year and supplied arms to the Syrian regime even though it was engaged in talks to rein in its nuclear programme.

But Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said those accusations were "worthless."

"For three decades, Iran has been the great victim of terrorism and considers international cooperation to combat terrorism a priority," she said, without elaborating.

US counterterrorism envoy Tina Kaidanow, unveiling the 2014 Country Reports on Terrorism, said "Iran continued to sponsor terrorist groups around the world," adding that Washington remained very concerned by the activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard "and its proxies."

And she stressed that "we have sanctions in place against Iran specifically related to the terrorism issue. That's not going to change."
Source: AFP