According to Press TV: Iran’s Intelligence Minister says the Shiraz mosque bombers had plans to target a Russian consulate in the northern part of the country.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i (see picture) announced that 15 people had been arrested in connection with the deadly explosion in a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz, adding that all detainees are Iranian nationals.
“Their next target was the Russian consulate general in Rasht. They obviously hoped that the explosion would strain Iran’s relations with its neighbors,” Mohseni-Eje’i stated.
The Iranian minister said the bombers were apparently trained by sources in the US and had been assured of a safe escape after the attack.
Mohseni-Eje’i ruled out any links between the Shiraz bombers and the Mujahedeen Khalq terrorist organization (MKO).
Iran announced on Tuesday that Britain, Israel and the United States were responsible for the deadly blast in Shiraz which killed 13 Iranians and injured more than 200.
The Iranian judiciary spokesman, Alireza Jamshidi said on Monday that the Islamic Republic may press charges against the United States, Britain and Israel over their involvement in the April 12 bombing.
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Note: Russian news outlets are confirming the story
That’s what we all agree on Tony’s blog: the US has been funding terrorists all over the world AGAIN.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he thought more visits to Iran by private American citizens might help bridge differences between the two countries.
But Gates, who in 2004 advocated greater diplomatic engagement with Iran, said Wednesday he believed it would not be useful now to negotiate with the government headed by President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
“We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage with the Iranians and then sit down and talk with them,” he said in a talk at the American Academy of Diplomacy, referring to general US relations with Tehran.
“If there is going to be a discussion then they need something, too,” he said. “We can’t go to a discussion and be completely the ‘demandeur’ with them not feeling they do not need anything from us.”
But he said the United States should look for ways outside of government “to open up the channels and get more of a flow of people back and forth.”
“There are actually a fair number of Iranians that come to the United States to visit,” he said.
“We ought to increase the flow going the other way, not of Iranians but of Americans, and that may be one way of creating some space perhaps over some period of time.”
US tensions with Iran have risen sharply in recent weeks amid accusations by Washington that Tehran is funding, training and arming Shiite groups to attack US and coalition forces in Iraq.
Iran rebuffed a US overture to hold a fourth round of talks with Iranians on the situation in Iraq.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080515/wl_afp/usirandiplomacygates