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Monday, 17 September, 2001, 21:25 GMT 22:25 UK
Iran condemns attacks on US
![]() Ayatollah Khamenei's word is very influential in Iran
By the BBC's Jim Muir in Tehran
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has strongly condemned the suicide terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. But he warned against the launching of a war against Afghanistan, saying that if the Americans send in their troops, they would only face more problems.
He left no doubt about his strong condemnation of the outrages in New York in Washington. "Mass killings of human beings are catastrophic acts which are condemned" he said "wherever they may happen and whoever the perpetrators and the victims may be". But he warned strongly against a large-scale military assault on Afghanistan. Domino effect If America wants to expand its power in the region by establishing a presence in Pakistan and sending troops into Afghanistan, he said, it would find that its problems would keep on multiplying.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that if another catastrophe were now brought about in Afghanistan, Iran would condemn that too. The leader's remarks make it clear there will be no Iranian support for a large scale military adventure in Afghanistan, although there is absolutely no love lost between Tehran and the Taleban. Too close for comfort Iran's reformist President, Mohammed Khatami, has also warned against a rash and emotional response to the terrorist attacks. In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, he said that Iran saw the UN as the most suitable vehicle for combating and fundamentally eradicating the ugly phenomenon of terrorism. Despite its hostility to the Taleban regime, Iran is clearly nervous about the prospect of an American-led intervention on its eastern borders. It is also concerned that such an attack could lead to another huge wave of Afghan refugees making their way into Iran. It's already playing host to well over two million. |
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