Iran dismisses Netanyahu's atomic claims

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday dismissed claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Tehran's nuclear programme as "false and fabricated".

"After the US and Israel's failure to play out anti-Iran scenarios, these farcical claims and shows by the Prime Minister of the occupying regime (of Israel) were not unexpected," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.

Netanyahu on Thursday showed a photo during his speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), accusing Iran of having a "secret atomic warehouse" for nuclear weapons programme.

"Although the allegations made by Netanyahu were part of a new show too worthless to deserve a response, Iran strongly denounces them," Qasemi said following Netanyahu's address at the UNGA.

"Israel and the US sought to represent an unpleasant image of Iran at this year's UN General Assembly meeting, but they failed to do so," he was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry on its website.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also lashed out at Netanyahu for his "baseless" claims, saying Tel Aviv was in no position to level such accusations against Tehran.

"Netanyahu must explain how Israel, as the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East region, can put itself in a position to level such brazen accusations against a country whose (nuclear) programme has been repeatedly declared peaceful by the International Atomic Energy Agency," Zarif told IRNA news agency.

--IANS

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