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Iran denies assassination plot, warns Denmark against 'hasty reactions'

An alleged assassination attempt has opened a diplomatic rift between Denmark and Iran, with the European country recalling its ambassador and turning to the EU for support.
Police closes the Oresund bridge near Copenhagen, Denmark, September 28, 2018. Ritzau Scanpix/Nils Meilvang via REUTERS    ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. DENMARK OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN DENMARK. - RC1C8D678150

Uncertainty is clouding Iran-EU ties after Danish officials leveled accusations that an Iranian intelligence organization was behind an attempted assassination in Denmark. Iran's diplomatic apparatus has been busy reacting to statements from the Danish Security and Intelligence Service and the country's Foreign Ministry.

"With those suspicious allegations some are seeking to undermine relations between Iran and Europe," said Mahmoud Vaezi, the influential chief of staff for Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. Vaezi underlined the timing of the claims that came "on the eve of new US sanctions against Iran." He also told reporters following a Nov. 1 cabinet meeting in Tehran that Rouhani had ordered the authorities to get to the bottom of the matter.

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