Karroubi accuses Tehran of duplicity

TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi accused the regime in Tehran of undermining the public trust by allegedly meeting with U.S. officials in New York.

Karroubi in comments posted on a Web forum used by Reformist leaders said the "double-dealings" of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will destroy the public's trust.

Karroubi said he was surprised that none of the state media outlets in Iran have picked up on reports that Ahmadinejad met with as many as 50 U.S. leaders for several hours on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.

Iranian ties with Washington were severed in the wake of the 1979 embassy takeover.

The opposition leader claims Ahmadinejad met with U.S. academics and politicians to discuss bilateral ties, the conflict in Afghanistan and nuclear matters, reports Radio Zamaneh, an independent Persian broadcaster in the Netherlands.

Tehran operates unilaterally in Afghanistan, training local police in counternarcotics activity. Tehran hosted a regional summit earlier this year for Afghan development.

The country is also addressing a Western-backed proposal for processing nuclear fuel as part of an effort to end concerns over a possible weapons program.

Karroubi along with former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi formed an opposition movement in the wake of disputed June elections that gave Ahmadinejad a second term in office.