Iran assassinated late Hariri: Saudi’s Minister

RIYADH (Agencies): Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman said on Sunday the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had been assassinated by Iranian militias.

“Hariri’s vision and national project that aspires to achieve stability, prosperity and coexistence lives on to combat the plans of sectarian militias who do not believe in the homeland or the dignity of the citizens,” he added in a Twitter post on his official account.

“He was assassinated by the Iranian militias of treachery which could not tolerate him and the national renaissance project he was defending, seeing as they only know the culture of destruction,” the prince added. He also stressed that “his vision and national project which aim to achieve stability, prosperity and coexistence shall persevere in the face of the projects of the sectarian militias who believe neither in the country not in the dignity of the citizen.”

A massive suicide bomb tore through Hariri’s armored convoy on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005, killing him and 22 other people.

The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon has tried four members of Iran-backed Hizbullah in absentia over the crime and the verdicts are expected to be issued later this year.

Hizbullah has denied involvement in the case, describing the tribunal as a U.S.-Israeli scheme and vowing that the accused will never be found.

On Saturday, Saudi’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said no “private messages,” or “direct contact” had taken place to ease tensions with Iran, saying that Tehran first needed to change its behavior before talks can happen.