Six people including an Iranian diplomat were detained in Belgium, France and Germany on Monday over allegations of plotting a bomb attack on rally by an exiled Iranian opposition group in Paris last weekend.
Tehran denounced the detentions as “a sinister false flag ploy” fabricated and timed to create diversion on a day when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Swiss capital Zurich to kickstart his two-nation Europe visit that will also take him to neighboring Austria.
A screenshot of the tweet by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Iran has said Rouhani’s visit was of “prime importance” for cooperation with Europe following the unilateral US withdrawal from a landmark Iranian nuclear deal.
"How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its 'plotters' arrested," Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a post through his official Twitter account.
"Iran unequivocally condemns all violence and terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy," he said.
Belgium reveals the plot
A bomb disposal expert is seen searching a car in the Brussels' commune of Woluwe St Pierre, on June 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
Earlier on Monday, federal authorities in Brussels revealed that they had arrested a Belgian couple “of Iranian origin” following five nationwide raids on Saturday to foil the planned atttack that was intended to target a rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Villepinte, in the suburbs of the French capital.
The NCRI includes some exiled opposition organizations, including the former rebel People's Mujahedin, which is banned in Iran.
A joint statement from the Belgian federal prosecutor and intelligence services claimed the detained couple, identified as Amir S (38) and Nasimeh N (33), “are suspected of having attempted to carry out a bomb attack" on Saturday’s rally organized by the People’s Mujahedin of Iran.
Supporters of Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), attend a rally in Villepinte, near Paris, France, June 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
The couple were carrying 500 grams of the volatile explosive TATP along with a detonator when an elite police squad stopped them in a residential district of Brussels, it said.
The statement said that on a tip off from the couple, their Iranian diplomat contact at the embassy in Vienna was also detained in Germany.
Also in France, three people were taken into custody on Saturday, AFP news agency reported citing a security source on Monday, who claimed that two of the detainees were later released.
Trump aide calls for Iran regime change
Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, delivers a speech during "Free Iran 2018 -- the Alternative" event organized by an exiled Iranian opposition group on June 30, 2018, in Villepinte, north of Paris. /VCG Photo
According to reports, the NCRI rally on June led by the group’s leader Maryam Rajavi drew a huge crowd of over 25,000 supporters of the exiled Iranian opposition movement.
Among those who addressed the rally were several leading US figures, including former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, a close aide of US President Donald Trump, and former US House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Giuliani urged regime change in Iran, saying the prospect was closer than ever after the Islamic Republic was hit by a wave of strikes and protests, AFP reported.
He called for a boycott of companies "that continually do business with this regime" and stressed that "Freedom is right around the corner," highlighting the recent protests in Iran.
The People's Mujahedin was listed as a "terrorist organization" by the US State Department in 1997 and was only removed from terror watchlists by the European Union in 2008 and Washington in 2012.
Rouhani in Europe
Swiss President Alain Berset (right) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani at the Zurich airport in Kloten, Switzerland, on July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo
Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Zurich on Monday at the start of European trip, which is being described by the Iranian media as of “prime importance” for boosting Tehran’s ties with Europe, which has been relentlessly trying to save the 2015 nuclear deal after the US pull out.
The tour, which will include a stop in Austria, is being seen as Tehran’s effort to secure Europe’s continued support for the nuclear deal. Substantial parts of the landmark agreement were negotiated in Switzerland before it was finally signed in July 2015 in Vienna, where Rouhani will head on Wednesday.
The historic deal is officially referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Now that the Americans have exited the JCPOA in breach of international rules and their multi-lateral commitments, communication and negotiation with Europe enjoys a special position,” Rouhani told reporters in Tehran before heading to Switzerland.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (left) meets with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during an official visit in Bern, Switzerland, on July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo
“Europe’s current situation is to some extent different from the past. Europe is opposing unilateralism with a louder voice, and expressing readiness to cooperate with Iran and other important and influential countries on regional and international issues,” he added.
Iran is expected to sign documents for cooperation in the industrial, commercial, healthcare, education, and water resources management with Switzerland and Austria, according to a Press TV report.
(With input from agencies)
[Cover Photo: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani steps out of the aircraft after his arrival at the Zurich airport in Kloten, Switzerland, July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo]
