TEHRAN – Again on Tuesday Tehran denounced the U.S. State Department’s annual report on global terrorist activity which put Iran on the list of countries supporting terrorism, saying it is “repetitive.”

The report branded Iran as “the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015,” and claimed that Iran has provided “a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world.”
It also claimed that Iran was continuing to provide arms and cash to groups like Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia groups, including Kata'ib Hizballah (KH), both designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” in the report.
“Americans’ position is repetitive and our stance continues to remain firm and relevant,” government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht made the remarks during his weekly press session on Tuesday.
Nobakht said Iran will recognize none of Americans’ “irrational, unusual, and hostile statements.”
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari had strongly reacted to the report, calling it “illusory.”
“The United States’ instrumental use of terrorism and its blatant disregard for atrocities committed by terrorist groups against civilians have caused terrorism to put down roots, making it more difficult to deal with,” Ansari was quoted as saying.
The report also was described by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as “unwise.”

-------- Iran will pursue Mina case via legal tools

Tension between Tehran and Riyadh has been boiling since 464 Iranians lost their lives in a stampede in the area of Mina in September 2015 during the last hajj.
Nobakht said, “Iran continues to follow through the Mina haj disaster and will take all legal measures.”
The spokesman’s comment come as a reply to a number of Iranians who lost their family members in the disaster, claiming that the steps taken by the government have not been effective as they would expect to be.
“Iran will follow up on the issue although Saudi officials may not show commitment,” the spokesman stated.
Since September 2015, Tehran has aired concerns over the safety of its nationals during the haj pilgrimage.
On the other hand, Saudis have called the safety concerns as unjustified, failing to reach an agreement with Iranians on this year’s haj pilgrimage.
Tehran has announced it won’t dispatch its nationals to the annual ritual until Saudis take tighter safety measures.

AK/PA