TEHRAN, July 8: Iran on Friday unanimously condemned the bomb attacks in London as “unacceptable and inhumane”, but a top cleric nevertheless said the blasts were direct result of US policies.
“You talk about Al-Qaeda. Have you forgotten who has bred Al Qaeda?” Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani asked at Friday prayer sermon at Tehran University.
“It’s the illegitimate child of America and Israel, but you name it Islam. This savagery is not Islam. It is coming from inside of you and it is now punching you,” he said in comments directed at British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Iran has linked the rise of Al Qaeda to US policy in the 1980s, when the CIA and Saudi Arabia pumped billions of dollars into hardline Islamist groups battling the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and went on to back the Taliban militia — which Iran opposed.
“You created all this to plague us, but now it is plaguing you. You have done that before, by equipping Saddam with weapons to fight us, but now you are bogged down in Iraq,” he said, referring to US backing for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein when he fought Iran in the 1980s.
“You have to learn from this and come to your senses.”
Hours after Thursday’s blasts killed more than 50 people and injured a further 700, Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the terrorist attacks that caused deaths and injuries among British citizens.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi also expressed “Iran’s sympathy with the families of the victims of these terrorist acts” and denounced “the use of violence to achieve objectives.”
Ayatollah Kashani repeated that condemnation.
“Iranians condemn the killing of women and children, young and old in the London bombings and offer condolences to the families of the victims,” he told worshippers.
Such acts, he said, were “unacceptable and inhumane”.
But the top cleric went on to condemn US President George W. Bush, who has labelled Iran the world’s number-one sponsor of terrorism.
“Where have you reached by cracking down on terrorism? It has happened again because you do not want to use your head,” Ayatollah Kashani said, drawing the usual chants of “Death to America, Death to Israel”.
“You train terrorists and sponsor state terrorism. If you want to succeed you have to leave Palestine alone,” he added. “Acting against terrorism must be honest ... and you will not succeed unless you wise up and change your ways.”—AFP