Iranian veterans of the 1979 seizure of hostages at the American embassy in Tehran on Thursday denied claims that President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had part in the siege.
This came after at least fiev US hostages, who were held for over a year by student followers of revolutionary leader Ayatullah Khomeini said they were sure Ahmadinejad was a key player in the abduction.
"Mr Ahmadinejad was never one of students following the path of the imam that took the spy den. He was never there," said Mohsen Mirdamadi, a former hostage-taker who went on to become a member of parliament.
"Those who say he was one of the students are making a mistake. Even last night I was shown a picture but the person in the picture had little resemblance to him"
Abbas Abdi, who like Mirdamadi is regarded as one of the instigators of the embassy seizure, also denied that Ahmadinejad had anything to do with the operation, AFP reported.
