Iran denies role in bus bombing in Bulgaria

Iran’s ambassador to Bulgaria has vehemently rejected allegations that his country was involved in a bus bombing that killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. Gholamreza Bageri told reporters in Sofia yesterday that Iran “has nothing to do with this attack.” He says Iran is “against any form of terrorism and strongly condemns such actions.” On Tuesday, an official Bulgarian report said investigators had “well-grounded reasons to suggest” that two men suspected in the attack belonged to the militant wing of the Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah. Iran is said to be a backer of Hezbollah, and Israel has alleged Iran was involved in the bombing. But Bulgarian investigators said they have found no evidence tying Iran to the July 18, 2012, attack.