A senior Iranian official has rejected US accusations that Iran and Cuba sponsor terrorism and has said such claims were irresponsible.
In an annual terrorism report to the US Congress released yesterday, the State Department branded Iran the world's most active sponsor of terror, saying it was providing support for Palestinian fighters attacking Israel.
The report named seven states Iran, Sudan, Libya, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Iraq as sponsors of terror.
Sabah Zanganeh, a senior adviser to Foreign Minister Kamal Kharraz said America, which supports what he termed ‘Israeli state terrorism acts’ had no right to accuse popular governments of terrorism.
"Irresponsible charges and provocative behavior damage international peace and understanding. Such acts mean America will lose opportunities of better relations with a key Mideast country like Iran," he said.
Iran also denied recent US charges that Cuba had supplied technology to help it develop germ weapons.
Iran's ambassador in Havana, Seyed D. Salehi, said Cuba had sent vaccines and medical technology to help Iran vaccinate children for hepatitis B under a 1998 agreement. It had also provided medicine for AIDS, cancer, heart attacks, circulatory problems and kidney ailments, he said.
The State Department said Iraq was concentrating its terror on opponents of President Saddam Hussein but was also providing bases for anti-Israel terror groups.
On the other hand, Libya and Sudan were taking steps "to get out of the terrorism business" and North Korea and Syria took smaller steps in that direction, but continued to host militant groups, the department said.
In Damascus, a Syrian political analyst, Mr Imad Shuaibi, said the report was "an internal American affair which doesn't concern Syria."
"Syria doesn't accept the policy of being dictated to and responding to those dictates," he said.
There was no immediate reaction from North Korea, which was accused of selling arms to terrorists and harboring members of Japan's radical Red Army. Bush has accused North Korea of trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.