Rejecting Plot Allegations, Iran Asks UN Chief To Take Its Side

Iranian Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Iran's Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee vehemently rejects the U.S. allegations that Tehran orchestrated a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

The rejection in itself is not surprising, but in the same letter Khazaee appeals to Ban to use his position to "enlighten" international public opinion about the "dangerous consequences of war-mongering policies of the United States government."

Ban's resume at the United Nations hardly leads anyone to expect that he'll be warning the world about the perils of Washington's international policies anytime soon. If anything, Ban has proven himself a seasoned player skillfully navigating in treacherous diplomatic waters.

Copies of the letter were also sent to the president of the General Assembly and the president of the Security Council.

Separately, there were rumors that the United States may formally brief the Security Council on its Iranian plot findings, but U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice is holding instead separate meetings on October 12 with some of the Security Council members on the issue.

-- Nikola Krastev