U.S. defends Jundallah action, denies link

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Accusations from Iran that Washington supported Sunni terrorist group Jundallah are categorically false, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department said.

The U.S. State Department announced earlier this week that it was including Sunni militant group Jundallah on its list of terrorist organizations.

The group launched a series of attacks on Iranian interests from the southern province of Sistan-Balochistan. Tehran said the group was backed by Washington.

Tehran paraded captured Jundallah ringleader Rigi before television cameras following his arrest in February. The Iranian government said he confessed to receiving backing from U.S. authorities operating in neighboring Afghanistan. He was executed in June.

P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said accusations that Washington supported the group were false and that Washington didn't have "any relationship" and provided "no support" for the group.

"We designated Jundallah for a simple reason," he told reporters during his regular press briefing. "It met the criteria under U.S. law to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization."

Ramin Mehmanparast, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said Tehran the labeling of the group "a move in the right direction."