Iran warns US not to interfere in its affairs

IRAN yesterday warned Washington to stay out of its internal affairs, amid US newspaper reports the White House was contemplating stirring up a popular revolt against the Islamic republic.

“We hope logic and reason will prevail in the Americans’ debates and that they will avoid taking an interventionist stance,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said.

His words coincided with reported talks in the White House on whether to foment a rebellion against Iran’s clerics, whom Washington accuses of links to the May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh that killed 34 people.

Reacting to media accounts of the talks, Mr Assefi said: “We do not know to what degree this information is true. But we have always told the Americans to avoid meddling in our internal affairs.”

On the heels of Mr Assefi’s remarks, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer denounced Iran’s performance on terrorism, giving credence to reports Washington was taking a tougher approach towards the Islamic republic.

“Iran’s responses are insufficient both on terrorism and nuclear weapons,” Mr Fleischer said.

The Washington Post reported last Sunday that top members of President George W Bush’s administration were meeting yesterday to discuss their strategy on the Islamic republic in the wake of the Riyadh blasts.

Pentagon officials were advocating a popular uprising to topple Iran’s government , the Post said.

Iran has insisted it has no links to al-Qaida and said it had arrested and quickly extradited hundreds of al-Qaida members fleeing the 1991 US attack on Afghanistan.