After denying any involvement, Iran justifies attack on Salman Rushdie

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani on Monday denied Tehran’s involvement in the Salman Rushdie attack, although he sought to justify the act of violence.

“With regard to the attack against Salman Rushdie in the United States, we do not consider anyone to be condemned, blamed or condemned except himself (Rushdie) and his supporters,” Canaani said.

“In this regard, no one can blame the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. “We believe that the insult and the support he received was an insult against followers of all religions.”

Salman Rushdie has faced death threats for more than 30 years for his novel “The Satanic Verses” for his portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, which is considered blasphemous by some Muslims.

The author was on life support since the August 12 attack in New York. However, the writer has been taken off the ventilator and is “on the road to recovery,” said his agent, Andrew Wyllie.

He added that Rushdie’s liver was damaged as well as nerves in one arm and one eye. The injury may result in the novelist losing one of his eyes.

In his remarks on Monday, Canaanite said Iran had “no other information than what the US media reports.” He also said that Rushdie attacked himself.

“Salman Rushdie unleashed popular anger and anger by insulting the sanctity of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and followers of all divine religions,” the Canaanite said.

The main reason behind the widely accepted suspicion of Iran’s alleged involvement in the attack is a fatwa issued against the author in 1989. That year, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or Islamic edict, demanding the author’s death. Although Iran has not focused on Rushdie in recent years, the decree is still in place.

In addition to an official announcement from an Iranian leader, a semi-official Iranian foundation also posted a prize of more than $3 million to the person who killed the author.

However, the country has denied carrying out such attacks against dissidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in the country. But the West is blaming Iran for such attacks.

Salman Rushdie’s attacker pleads not guilty

His alleged assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, did not admit to his attempted murder and assault. New York police did not find any concrete reason behind the attack. Arguing against bail during a hearing, District Attorney Jason Schmidt cited the bounty on Salman Rushdie as a possible reason behind the attack.

“Even if this court sets a million-dollar bail, we still risk getting bail,” Schmidt said.

Born and raised in America, Hadi Matar has its roots in Yarun in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border. According to the mayor of the village, his parents emigrated to America. Village records show that Matar is a Lebanese citizen and a Shia. Flags of the Iranian-backed Shia terrorist group Hezbollah were also found throughout the village. In the past, Hezbollah targets throughout the village were also bombed by Israel.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said Matar’s father lives there but has been in seclusion since the attack.

The never ending dispute between America and Iran

Iran and America have always been face to face on issues ranging from nuclear deal to terrorism. Even in the case of the attack on Salman Rushdie, the US has publicly condemned the Islamic State.

Even as Iran has made its stand clear on the issue, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a statement on Monday criticizing Islamic State and supporting the author for his stance on freedom of expression and religion.

“Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state media recently reported on his life attempt,” Blinken said. “this is sick.”

Please note that the fatwa can be revoked after the announcement. But the current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not bother to do so. In 2017, he clarified by saying, “This decree has been issued by Imam Khomeini.”

Tensions between the West and Iran escalated when the US pulled out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s tenure.

The situation worsened in 2020 when a top Iranian Revolutionary Guard general was killed in a drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump.

Not only this, Iran also threatened to kill former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and an aide. Because of this, both have been kept under 24-hour security. Iranian opposition activists living in the US have also faced threats from Iran after one such activist was saved from a kidnapping attempt in 2021.

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