Iran rejects claims of ties to Jordan terror suspect

Revolutionary Guard official says allegations part of international ‘phobia and propaganda’ against the Islamic Republic

By AP 7 July 2015, 4:53 pm

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Jordanian forces conduct a military drill as part of the 7th Annual International Warrior Competition hosted by the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC), Sunday, April 19, 2015, Amman, Jordan. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Iran is rejecting reports by Jordanian state media that a terror suspect arrested in Jordan on suspicion that he planned attacks against the kingdom is linked to an Iranian group.

The spokesman for Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Ramazan Sharif, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the reports are “baseless.”

Jordan’s government-owned al-Rai newspaper reported Monday that security forces also seized 45 kilograms (99 pounds) of high-grade explosives in the case and that it was the biggest haul in Jordan a decade. Al-Rai and the state news agency Petra said the suspect has ties to an Iranian group called Beit al-Maqdis, but did not elaborate.

Sharif dismissed the allegations as part of “phobia and propaganda” against Iran, comparing it to “past claims” by other countries.