Iran dismisses Riyadh's espionage allegations as baseless

Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministry for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Monday categorically denied Riyadh's claims about Iran's involvement in alleged spying activities in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh recently claimed that it has arrested a number of people involved in espionage operations for Iran. In response Amir Abdollahian said, "Leveling unsubstantiated accusations and making hues and cries might have domestic use for Saudi Arabia, but is no good for bilateral relations (between Tehran and Riyadh)." The deputy minister cautioned that it would be an unwise move for Saudi Arabia to claim that the arrested members of a spy network worked for Iran without setting forth any evidence. "After the recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi to Jeddah to attend the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and his meeting and the detailed discussions with senior Saudi officials, Iran expected Riyadh to exercise self-restraint and stop literature of threat," the Iranian diplomat said. The Iranian foreign ministry first on Wednesday rejected Riyadh's claims that it had arrested a number of people involved in espionage operations for Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Araqchi dismissed Saudi Arabia's false allegations that the Islamic Republic has links to a spy cell recently arrested in the Kingdom. "We expect the Saudi government to pursue the issue through correct channels instead of creating media hype," he said. Saudi state media reported that those detained include 24 Saudi nationals, one Turk, two Lebanese citizen, and allegedly one Iranian. "It was alleged (by the Saudi Arabia) that a network of spies, who were arrested in late March last year, were connected to Iran. At the time, we stressed the fallacy of this claim," Araqchi added. He noted that the Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi Arabian charge d'affaires in Tehran and protested the allegations in March 2012, requesting a formal explanation from the Saudi side. Araqchi said Iran had requested consular access to the Iranian national two months ago but "unfortunately there has been no response from Saudi officials."