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Iran denies harboring Saudi plotters
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's foreign minister Friday denied U.S. accusations that al Qaeda operatives in Iran may have played a role in the May 12 suicide blasts in Riyadh. Kamal Kharazzi said the suspected al Qaeda members in Iranian custody, were in prison at the time of the attacks and could not have directed them. He said Iran "doesn't like terrorists," and the American accusations repeat a "familiar" charge. "If America cannot find the Taliban and the al Qaeda, it's America's fault. It is not our problem. But we will not stop fighting terrorists. It is not possible to fight terrorists with guns. It's about the ideas of people of terrorism -- their minds must be changed," Kharazzi said. A senior defense official told CNN recently that U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted communications before and after the bombings in Saudi Arabia that indicate al Qaeda operatives have been given safe haven in Iran. The communications also indicated the operatives may have been behind the bombings at the three civilian housing complexes in Saudi Arabia that killed 34 people and wounded hundreds more. The State Department said Sunday: "We have made it clear to Iran as recently as this week that we believe al Qaeda operatives are working out of Iran and that Iran needs to meet their international responsibilities" in handing over terrorists. A senior defense official said there were indications last week that Iran might be willing to hand over al Qaeda operatives in the country to Saudi Arabia, but no further progress had been made on that front. Iranian officials said Sunday that the United States had cut off discussions with Tehran on a range of issues, citing what they called false accusations that Iran provided a safe haven for al Qaeda members. Last week, a Bush administration official told CNN that Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, met Thursday in Geneva with Iranian officials. During the meeting, the official said, the Iranians said they had several al Qaeda operatives in custody, including one who U.S. intelligence officials have said may have coordinated the recent terrorist bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "We know al Qaeda individuals are inside Iran," the U.S. official said. "But what is the definition of custody? If they are in Iran, free to plan and direct attacks, such as the Saudi bombings, and are able to receive visitors and updates and other information, that is not custody. That is safe haven." A State Department official said that while members of al Qaeda are believed to be in Iran, it was not clear how senior they are. And if senior al Qaeda leaders are in Iran, the Iranian government may not know it, the official said. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said recently it was "a fact" that there were senior al Qaeda in Iran.
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