Clinton asks Iran to hand over suspects

The Iranian daily Abrar said on Wednesday that US President Bill Clinton has recently asked the Iranian leaders to hand over six persons suspected of being involved in the explosion which targeted US military men at al-Zahran base in Saudi Arabia in 1996 and resulted in killing 19 persons.

On Monday State Department spokesman James Rubin said, "I can confirm that we've had such a communication, but I am not in a position to detail the way in which it was made, and the substance of it."

The paper said that in its reply to the US message, Iran denied the existence of suspected persons in its territories.

The paper added that Tehran asked for handing over the commander of the US frigate Vincennes, who downed the Iranian Airbus plane in July 1988 over the airspace of the Arab Gulf, killing 290 persons who were on board the plane.