FOILED ATTACK
France seizes Iran assets over plot
A senior French official said Paris had no doubt that elements of the Iranian state were behind the bomb plot
Paris -France seized assets belonging to Iran’s intelligence services and two Iranian nationals in response to a June plot to attack an exiled Iranian opposition group’s rally outside Paris, the government said on Tuesday. A senior French official said Paris had no doubt that elements of the Iranian state were behind the bomb plot and it was likely to have been hatched by hardliners looking to undermine President Hassan Rouhani. The hardening of relations between Paris and Tehran could have deep consequences for Iran, coming at a time when Rouhani’s government is looking to European capitals to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal after the US pulled out. "An attempted attack in Villepinte was foiled on June 30. An incident of such gravity on our national territory could not go unpunished," said a joint statement by the foreign, interior and economy ministries. Asked for reaction, a spokesperson at the Iranian embassy in Paris replied simply: "Hello. Thank you." There was no immediate respon...
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