U.S. denies role in slaying of Iranian

Accusing the West for suspicious activity inside Iran is a common practice for Tehran, a U.S. official said in denying links to a slain graduate student. Iranian parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani blamed Israel and the United States during the weekend for the death of Daryoush Rezayeenejad, a 35-year-old post-graduate student. He was killed by assailants on motorcycles while on his way to his daughter's school. Larijani told Parliament that Saturday's attack was another example of American-Zionist animosity against Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. He recommended that U.S. officials consider the consequences of their actions. Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Larijani's finger-pointing was common practice in Tehran. "We were not involved (in the attack)," she said during a regular press briefing. The official Islamic Republic News Agency said Rezayeenejad was a scientist in the field of power and electronics. Initial Iranian reports, including the semiofficial Mehr news agency, initially misidentified the victim as Darioush Rezaei, a 45-year-old physics professor. Nuland added there were "a number of conflicting reports" on the death, which allegedly involved Iran's nuclear program.