Iran denies plot to kill Trump, says respects Americans' choice

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied US charges that Tehran was linked to an alleged plot to kill the US president-elect Donald Trump and called on Saturday for confidence-building between the two hostile countries.

"Now ... a new scenario is fabricated ... as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy," Araqchi said in a post on X.

He was referring to the alleged plot which Washington said was ordered by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards to assassinate Trump, who won Tuesday's presidential election and takes office in January.

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"The American people have made their decision. And Iran respects their right to elect the president of their choice. The path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect," Araqchi said.

"Iran is not after nuclear weapons, period. This is a policy based on Islamic teachings and our security calculations. Confidence-building is needed from both sides. It is not a one-way street," he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier that the claim was a "repulsive" plot by Israel and the Iranian opposition outside the country to "complicate matters between America and Iran".

Iranian analysts and insiders have not dismissed the possibility of a detente between Tehran and Washington under Trump, although without restoring diplomatic ties.

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