May 26, 2005: Iran Accuses US of Pursuing Regime Change

Iran’s information minister, Ali Younesi, accuses the US of pursuing a policy of regime change in Iran by exploiting ethnic and racial tension. One month before, the Iranian government claimed that “foreign agents” were behind an April letter (see Early April 2005) purportedly written by Iran’s former vice president, Muhammad Ali Abtahi, promoting the forced relocation of Iranian Arabs to the country’s northern provinces. Also that month, Washington earmarked $3 million to “promote democracy in Iran” (see April 11, 2005), a move criticized by Tehran as interfering in Iran’s internal affairs. [Xinhua News Agency (Beijing), 5/26/2005]