Salman Rushdie: Iran ‘categorically’ denies link with attacker

Iran has “categorically” denied any link with Salman Rushdie’s attacker – but blamed the writer himself.

Mr Rushdie, 75, was left severely injured after being stabbed on stage at an event in New York state. He is now able to breathe unaided.

He has faced years of death threats for his novel The Satanic Verses.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused Iran’s state media of gloating about the attack, calling its behavior “despicable”.

Iranian media have extensively commented on the attack on the writer, calling it “divine retribution”; Iran’s state broadcaster daily Jaam-e Jam highlighted the news that Rushdie might lose an eye following the attack, saying “an eye of the Satan has been blinded”.

As news emerged of Friday’s attack, eyes turned to Tehran where the fatwa – religious edict – calling for the writer’s assassination and placing a bounty on his head was first issued more than three decades ago.

But on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani Tehran “categorically” denied any link, adding “no-one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

However, he said freedom of speech did not justify Mr Rushdie insulting religion in his writing.

“In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” the spokesman said during his weekly press conference in Tehran.

Agencies