U.S. anti-Iran claim takes aim at Latin America

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said that the recent U.S. accusation against Iran regarding a plot for the assassination of the Saudi envoy to Washington aims to threaten Iran's Latin American allies.

“Later they'll say Iran can only do this thanks to its Latin American allies,” Chavez said on Venezuela's state TV.

“Now, they're taking aim at us. They'd better not even think about stopping Venezuela's peaceful march, because they will regret it the rest of their days,” Bloomberg quoted him as saying on Saturday.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department accused Iran of involvement in a plot to assassinate Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir with help from a suspected member of a Mexican drug cartel.

Tehran categorically denied the accusation, saying the media hype created by Washington is an attempt to deflect international attention from the anti-corruption and anti-corporatism protests currently rocking the country.

Iran's envoy to the UN, Mohammad Khazaei, has filed a complaint against the U.S. for what he called the “evil plot.”
 On Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the U.S. administration is responsible for escalating tension and undermining international security through its propaganda campaign against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has described the U.S. accusation as an immature scenario and says U.S. officials will ultimately be compelled to apologize.