Iran denies role in Israeli embassy attack

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Iran rejects as "sheer lies" accusations that it was involved in a bomb attack on the Israeli embassy in India, the official IRNA news agency quoted the Islamic Republic's ambassador to New Delhi as saying on Monday.

"Any terrorist attack is condemned (by Iran) and we strongly reject the untrue comments by an Israeli official," Mehdi Nabizadeh was quoted as saying by IRNA. "These accusations are untrue and sheer lies, like previous times."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said Israel's arch-foe Iran "stands behind" bombers who targeted Israeli embassy cars in India and Georgia on Monday.

Netanyahu linked the incidents to reports of foiled attacks in Thailand and Azerbaijan last month for which, he said, Iran and its Lebanese guerrilla "proxy" Hezbollah were responsible.

"Iran, which stands behind these attacks, is the largest exporter of terror in the world," Netanyahu said, addressing his Likud party faction in parliament.

An explosion tore through an Israeli diplomat's car on the streets of New Delhi on Monday, Israeli officials said. The driver and a diplomat's wife were injured, according to Indian officials.

The explosion took place in the late afternoon close to the embassy, said embassy spokesman David Goldfarb.
Television footage showed a charred minivan with blue diplomatic plates, its rear door apparently blown out.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor would not discuss who was injured nor the extent of the injuries because it was a security matter.

"We are looking into the incident and cooperation with local security forces is excellent," Palmor said, from Israel.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said two people were wounded, the driver and the wife of an Israeli diplomat.

"They are in the hospital and being tended to," he said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said an attempted car bombing in Georgia was thwarted. The bomb in Tbilisi was discovered before it went off.