Pretoria‎, South Africa
Pretoria‎, South AfricaiStock

South Africa's state security agency on Friday said it had found no evidence that Iran was plotting to assassinate the US ambassador to Pretoria, Lana Marks, AFP reports.

The clarification follows a US media report, quoting unnamed officials, which said earlier this week that Iran was planning to kill the US ambassador to South Africa as revenge after President Donald Trump decided to kill powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

"At present, the information provided is not sufficient to sustain the allegation that there is a credible threat against the United States Ambassador to South Africa," State Security Agency spokesman Mava Scott said in a statement quoted by AFP.

"Such plots of assassination against diplomats are viewed in a very serious light and Her Excellency, Ambassador Marks has been assured of our commitment in this regard."

The South African state security agency said officials had requested additional information from the US government and urged "everyone to remain calm".

Iran's foreign ministry earlier this week denied the report as "baseless" and part of "repetitive and rotten methods to create an anti-Iranian atmosphere".

Iran retaliated for the killing of Soleimani by launching a barrage of missiles on two Iraqi military bases hosting American troops. 34 service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said in June that the elimination of Soleimani had “significant effect” in deterring the Iranian threat.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Rosh Hashanah in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)