News

Iranian officials have blamed both Israel and
the United States for the January 12 bomb attack that killed professor
Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. Washington has dismissed the charge of U.S.
involvement as absurd.

Some Iranian media have also reported that a Western-based
pro-monarchy group claimed responsibility for the attack, but have not
said how they knew this.

On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast named the
group as Tondar (Thunder), without giving details. He said the Swiss
ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, had been summoned to
the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

"Regarding the assassination which was claimed by Tondar, we asked
the Swiss embassy for an explanation on how the U.S. accepted to have
this terrorist group in their country," he told a weekly press briefing.

"They should be answerable about this and we want the criminals to
be extradited to Iran," Mehmanparast said, without naming whom Tehran
was seeking.

The United States cut relations with Tehran shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah.

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