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Iran Ready to Work With All Sides Concerned Over 'False Flag Ploy' in France

© AFP 2023 / ATTA KENARE Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi (unseen) give a press conference at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport following their arrival on July 15, 2015, after Iran's nuclear negotiating team struck a deal with world powers in Vienna
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi (unseen) give a press conference at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport following their arrival on July 15, 2015, after Iran's nuclear negotiating team struck a deal with world powers in Vienna - Sputnik International
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that Tehran was ready to cooperate with all the all concerned parties to uncover what he called a sinister "false-flag ploy", reacting to Belgian authorities' arrest of an Iranian diplomat on suspicion of plotting a bomb attack in France.

"Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated via Twitter.

The Iranian top diplomat went on pointing that the alleged terror plot and the following arrest look "convenient".

"How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its "plotters" arrested," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

Alleged Terror Plot

Earlier in the day, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office announced that several individuals, including a diplomat from the Iranian embassy in Vienna, have been detained as part of the Belgium-led investigation into a foiled plot of a terrorist attack in the French city of Villepinte.

"One of the contacts [of the detained married couple], Assadolah A., born on December 22, 1971, an Iranian national, was also detained in Germany. He is a diplomat from the Iranian embassy in Vienna," a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office told reporters.

On Saturday Belgian police arrested two suspects, plotting a bomb terrorist attack on the Iranian conference which took place in France on June 30. They were carrying 500 grams of a home homemade explosives. In addition, an improvised explosive device was found in their vehicle.

"The Federal Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the terrorist plot on the basis of information from the state security service. As part of this investigation, Amir S., born on April 26, 1980, and his wife Nasime N., born on September 20, 1984, both Belgian nationals of Iranian origin, were placed under arrest by a court investigator from Antwerpen specializing in terrorism cases," the ministry's statement reads.

The suspects were charged with attempted terrorist assassination and plotting of a terrorist offense. At the same time, the France Info broadcaster reported that Merhad A., born on July 31, 1963, was detained in France as part of the probe into the case, along with two other suspects.

READ MORE: German Police Suspect Terror Plot, Large Amount of Toxin Found in Migrant's Flat

According to the Belgian prosecutors, the suspects were plotting a bomb attack on a conference, which was held in the French city of Villepinte on Saturday by an Iranian left-wing organization, banned in Iran. The event was attended by nearly 25,000 people.

Meanwhile, the AFP news agency reported, citing legal sources, that three people were also detained in France over the terror plot during the Iranian conference.

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