FM spox:

No link between incidents in Basra and Paris embassy

TEHRAN(defapress) – There is no link between incidents in Basra and Iran embassy in Paris, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

News ID: 72453

Date: 17 September 2018 - 14:17

“There is no direct relations between the two incidents and we have already announced our positions regarding the both cases,” Bahram Qasemi told reporters on Monday.

A group of angry protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in Basra on September 7, setting it on fire as part of demonstrations in the Iraqi city against lack of services and jobs that had turned violent.

Demonstrators attacked the building, located in the southern part of Basra, prompting security forces to open fire to quell the protests.

Meanwhile, some anti-Iran elements attempted to damage the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, on September 14.

'The attack on Iran consulate in Basra has been conducted by certain elements likely affiliated with trans-regional countries,' Qasemi said.

“At a specific point of the current developments inside Iraq, they [the attackers] were to affect relations between the two nations as well as the situation inside Iraq. However, they failed to achieve their goals due to the strong relations and familiarity between the two capitals,” the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, he added, what happened in Paris was different.

“The attack was conducted by those affiliated to a terrorist group. It was aborted and they failed to break into the building,” Qasemi noted.

French officials vowed to take necessary measures to confront saboteurs, said the spokesman.

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