The Iranian Government has denied a report claiming the country plans to assassinate the United States’ ambassador to South Africa, Lana Marks.
Iran in a swift rebuttal on Monday denied the claims, describing them as baseless.
Citing two unnamed government officials, the Politico reported that authorities have been aware of a general threat against Ambassador Marks since the spring.
It added that intelligence services are not sure why Iran would target 66-year-old Marks, who was sworn in as the US ambassador in October 2019 and does not appear to have any known links to the country.
The report claimed that the Iranian embassy in Pretoria is involved in the plot.
But, news of the plan comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate following US President Donald Trump’s order to kill an Iranian General Qassem Soleimani earlier this year, the officials said.
Soleimani, the leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, was killed in Baghdad, Iraq in a drone attack on January 3. The US had accused him of masterminding the attacks by Iran-aligned militias on US forces in the region.
However, the spokesperson Embassy of the Republic of Iran in Pretoria, Hamid Reza, denied the claims, calling them baseless.
Reza said Iran will provide you with more information soon.