Iran: Israeli accusation of Iranian plot to harm Israelis in Istanbul "ridiculous"

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on June 24 that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s accusation of an Iranian plot to harm Israelis in Istanbul was "ridiculous" and aimed at damaging Iranian-Turkish relations.

At a news conference in Ankara on June 23, Lapid thanked his host Turkey for helping abort a suspected Iranian plot against Israelis in Istanbul and said the effort was still underway, Reuters reports.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted in a ministry tweet as saying Lapid’s “ridiculous” allegation was a “pre-designed scenario to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries", referring to Turkey and Iran.