Iran slams murder attempt at embassy

16 May 2008

Tehran-Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Thursday condemned the assassination attempt on lives of four Iranian diplomats and embassy staff in Baghdad.

"The onus is on the occupying forces to ensure security of embassy personnel in Baghdad. The distrustful safety measures taken by US military forces in Iraq have become a serious cause for concern as it is stoking instability in the country," said Hosseini on Thursday.

"The Islamic Republic is determined to launch extensive investigations on the assassination attempt and will pursue the incident through Iraqi officials," he added.

Hosseini criticized US President George W. Bush for attempting to portray Iran as a threat, describing the echelon's effort as an example of an inhumane act committed in violation of the international regulations by the invaders and terrorist groups.

Four Iranian embassy staff and diplomats were seriously injured after unknown terrorists opened fire on their car on Thursday.