Al-Qaeda presence in Iran Western lie

Iranian foreign ministry says the Western media’s threadbare allegation leveled against Iran regarding al-Qaeda’s presence inside the country is an old scenario aimed at inciting Iranophobia.

“Claim of al-Qaeda presence in our country is a repetitive scenario, brought up every now and then by those who seek to sow discord among Islamic states and follow an Iranophobia scheme,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast in his weekly press briefing on Tuesday.

Mehmanparast stressed that Iran was one of the victims of terrorism and would never compromise with terrorist groups or allow them to use the country’s soil for their evil acts.

The Iranian foreign ministry official stressed that the terrorist groups are active in the region with Western backing, saying the regional states’ close cooperation would root out extremism and terrorism in the area.

In response to a question asked by an Iraqi reporter regarding former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s ouster, the foreign ministry spokesman said the recent reshuffle in Iran’s foreign apparatus is an internal issue and of little concern to Iraqi people.

On December 13, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad relieved Mottaki from his duties and replaced him with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi.