Iran condemns reprisal move

TEHRAN, SEPT. 17. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned today possible U.S. retaliation against Afghanistan for last week's attacks in New York and Washington, State radio said.

``The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns any eventual military action in Afghanistan which would lead to a new human catastrophe,'' Khamenei was quoted as saying at a meeting with clerics.

``If the U.S. wants to increase its power through its presence in Pakistan and sending troops into Afghanistan, the problems will increase on a daily basis.''

``The innocent people of Afghanistan have suffered for 25 years. Are these Muslim people once more to be crushed under the yoke of war because some people are alleged to have taken part in the attacks in the U.S., although these accusations have not been proved?''

Saudi Arabia to support U.S.Reuters reports from Dubai:

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia said today that his country would stand by the U.S. in its fight against terrorism, adding that he wanted to dissociate the kingdom from the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

``The custodian of the two holy mosques (King Fahd) reiterated that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will stand by the U.S. and support it and cooperate with it in combatting terrorism,'' the State-run Saudi Press Agency said.

``The kingdom rejects being associated with any person whose name is linked to terrorism,'' the agency quoted the monarch as saying after the weekly Cabinet session.

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