The State Security Agency says it’s aware of the alleged plot against US Ambassador Lana Marks, but the nature of the threat doesn’t permit it to give further details on the investigation.
The agency was reacting after a report on the United States accusing the Iranian government of weighing an alleged assassination attempt against the US envoy to Pretoria.
Tehran has described the document as a custom-ordered report from the US government that is biased and a falsification ahead of the US presidential election in November.
US-based Iranian journalist Bahman Kalbasi says the report raises more questions than answers.
“It is raising some questions. Why now and why this particular Ambassador in South Africa? We kind of know that they’re not done with getting revenge for Qasem Soleimani’s assassination, the top general that Donald Trump ordered back in January but the question is why would they do it in an ally country? SA and Iran do have and do enjoy a long-standing relationship, doing something like that will certainly impact that relationship negatively. And the other question is – it’s really not an eye for an eye if you went after an Ambassador to SA who is not known to be very active in Iran policy or known at all inside Iran as a way of getting revenge.”
Iran rejects claims
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected as nonsensical allegations of an assassination plot against Marks.
International Relations Expert with the University of Tehran, Professor Seyed Marandi says: “In Tehran, everyone is making fun of the accusation. This woman is a handbag designer, she is by no means the equivalent of general Qasem Soleimani who defeated ISIS and Al-Qaeda. United States is constantly making ridiculous accusations against Iran. The only thing less for the United States to accuse Iran of is global warming.”
SABC News Correspondent in New York Sherwin Bryce-Pease unpacks the issue:
