Haley rejects Iran blame over attack

Washington, September 23 

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday rejected Iranian fingerpointing at Washington over a deadly parade attack, saying Iranian leaders should look closer to home.

Before leaving for the United Nations on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused other countries,  including the United States of provoking the shooting attack on a military parade that killed 29 persons on Saturday.

Haley dismissed his comments as rhetoric.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed on Sunday to wreak “deadly and unforgettable” vengeance for the attack, which killed 12 of their comrades, and Tehran accused US-backed Gulf Arab states of backing the gunmen.

Saturday’s assault, one of the worst ever against the elite force of the Islamic Republic, struck a blow at its security establishment at a time when the United States and its Gulf allies are working to isolate Tehran.

“America wants to cause chaos and unrest in our country so that it can return to this country, but these are unreal fantasies and they will never achieve their goals,” Rouhani said. — Reuters