Rushdie Stabbing: Iran denies link with attacker
Iran yesterday denied any link with the attacker of British author Salman Rushdie but blamed the writer himself for "insulting" Islam in the novel "The Satanic Verses".
"We categorically deny" any link with the attack and "no one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran," said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani in Tehran's first official reaction to Friday's stabbing.
"In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation," he said at his weekly press conference in Tehran.
Rushdie's condition, while still serious, has since Friday's attack at a literary event in western New York state shown clear signs of improvement and he no longer requires assisted breathing.
"He's off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun," his agent Andrew Wylie said in a statement on Sunday.
"It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction."
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