US hijacking Egypt revolt for Israel

TEHRAN: The United States is trying to hijack the Egyptian revolution and "nip it in the bud" to meet Israeli agendas, Ali Larijani, speaker of Iran's conservative-dominated parliament, said Sunday.

"The statesmen of this country aim to seize the revolution of the Egyptians and nip it in the bud," Larijani said, referring to Iran's arch-foe the United States, state news agency IRNA reported.

Larijani, who has repeatedly lashed out at Washington since the fall on Friday of US ally Hosni Mubarak, said the ouster of the Egyptian strongman was the "first phase of the spring of the victory of the Egyptian revolution."

"But before and after this victory, we have witnessed American conspiracies by which they (Americans) want to somehow seize the victory of the Egyptians," he said.

Larijani accused the United States of working to meet demands of the Israelis.

"The Americans trampled the national dignity of Egypt, which is a great and educated country, by its cooperation with the Zionist regime," Larijani said in parliament.

"They now cheekily say that future democratic conditions in Egypt should respect the shameful Camp David treaty.

"What kind of democracy is this which is shaped within an illegal military council by American orders?" he said, referring to the treaty negotiated in 1978 at Camp David between Egypt and Israel and signed the following year.

A junta of senior military commanders which took charge of Egypt following the fall of Mubarak said it would respect the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Fresh squabbling between Washington and Tehran has broken out since Mubarak was overthrown Friday after an 18-day popular uprising, with officials from both countries lashing out at each other.

While Iranian officials have criticised Washington for "interfering" in the Egyptian uprising which they say marks the "defeat" of US and Israel, officials in Washington say they hope Arab revolts could also spread to the Islamic republic which saw massive anti-government protests in 2009.

Iran has expressed its support to Arab uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt but had brutally crushed protests of its own people against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009 which they say was rigged.

Authorities have refused to allow opposition leaders to hold a rally on Monday in support of Arab revolts, saying it is a ploy to stage fresh anti-government demonstrations.