Iran denies any link to attack on Rushdie, accuses him of “insulting” Islam

The Iranian government has rejected on Monday any connection with the attack suffered on Friday in New York by the writer Salman Rushdie, whom it has nevertheless accused of crossing “red lines” with his texts and of “insulting” Islam.

Rushdie has been in Iran’s crosshairs since 1989 when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa openly calling for his assassination for the publication of ‘Satanic Verses’, considered blasphemy in part of the Muslim world.

The edict of the founder of the Islamic Republic is still in force today and the press linked to the Iranian clerical establishment did not hesitate to celebrate Rushdie’s stabbing, but this Monday, in its first official assessment, the Iranian government has disassociated itself from the aggression itself.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanani assured in a public appearance that Tehran has no connection with the assailant, identified as Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old of Lebanese origin, according to Mehr Agency.

Kanani, however, has spared no criticism against Rushdie, whom he has accused of “exposing himself” with his writings to the “wrath” of Muslims and followers of other religions, crossing all kinds of “red lines.”

The British writer of Indian origin remains in a hospital in New York and, although his condition is serious, he is evolving favorably and since Sunday he no longer needs to be connected to an artificial respirator.