Iran Downgrades Ties to Bulgaria Over Implication in Terror Attack
by JNS.org
Iran’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Gholamreza Bageri, rejected accusations that his country was behind the terror attack against an Israeli tour bus that killed five Israelis and one Bulgarian last summer in the seaside resort of Burgas, the Associated Press reported.
The Bulgarian government announced last week that it believes Hezbollah was behind the attack. The Lebanese terror organization is funded by Iran.
According to Bulgarian media reports, Iran is also downgrading its ties to Bulgaria and sending home Bageri, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Bageri told reporters in the Bulgarian capital Sofia that Iran “has nothing to do with this attack,” according to the AP.
U.S. and Israeli officials have long implicated Hezbollah as well as its benefactor Iran in the attack, and have urged the EU to label the group as a terrorist organization.
But despite the report on Hezbollah’s role in the attack on EU soil, the 27-member union is unlikely to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to opposition from countries such as France and Italy, AFP reported.